Those Nights
by December Camie
Summary: AU brotherly relationship- A collection of stories about Alfred, Arthur, and Matthew as they learn to live together as a family. Point of view changes throughout the chapters, and the stories themselves are not in order.
1. Shakyespear

**11/14/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**First time writing Fanficiton? Ever? YES!**

**First time writing about Hetalia? YES!**

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! XD haha no, seriously, I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters (Alfred Jones/USA/ America, Arthur Kirkland/UK/ England, Matthew Jones/Williams/Canada, **Katyusha Braginski/Ukraine**) even though I would like to. On a side note, I do not own Dean Koontz or any of his books, story plots or characters either. Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Alfred is sick and Arthur stays home to take care of him. While making soup, Arthur gets a rare look into Alfred's mind. Alfred and Matthew are 15, Arthur is 27. Story better than summary, I swear!**

-o0o-

When Arthur first arrived home, he was sure that something was terribly wrong. The house was eerily quiet where normally it would have been filled with the sounds of loud, clumsy footsteps, or the joyful obnoxious laughter that would echo throughout the many rooms. Instead it was silent, quiet in a way that Arthur would have never thought possible while living with two teenage boys.

"Alfred?" Arthur called out. His voice drifted though the bright cheery living room and spread through the Victorian styled home but received no answering cry.

Arthur felt panic build up in his stomach as he continued to hear no movements in the house. He quickly took off his scarf, threw it on the couch and started to search the house's many rooms as fast as he could without breaking into a sprint. He had thought- he was _sure_ that he had left Alfred at home while Arthur went to go pick up Mathew from school. And granted, Alfred was sick, but he couldn't be sick enough to be completely silent. Silent was something Alfred just didn't- couldn't Arthur was sure- do, regardless if he had a small fever or not. He was probably just sleeping. Yes, that was it. Just sleeping and that was why the boy was so quiet. That is, unless something had happened to him. What if he was kidnapped? Or got hurt while sleepwalking? Or maybe-

"Arthur?"

Arthur halted abruptly when the cause of his worry said his name. Peering into the kitchen, Arthur saw Alfred sitting sideways in one of the chairs placed at the wooden table, his back facing the window and his feet lying on the adjacent chair, surrounded by a thick quilt with his hands in his lap. Alfred stared at Arthur curiously, and Arthur noted with some relief that the sick like haze that had been in Alfred's eyes previously was now gone. Instead Alfred's gaze was clear and relaxed, healthy again after a day of rest.

"Alfred," Arthur sighed with relief and moved towards the teenager. "Don't scare me like that, I thought you had gotten hurt or worse." He reached forward and placed a hand on Alfred's forehead. "Thank the Queen your fever's gone down." He muttered before removing his hand to ruffle Alfred's gold locks of hair. Alfred made a face and leaned away from Arthur.

"Of course I'm ok; where else could I have gone? I've been sick the entire day; I don't have the energy to move even if I had wanted to." He puffed out his cheeks, looking somewhat irritated. Arthur smiled gently at the boy as he removed his jacket.

"Well, naturally I was worried, you were being unusually silent," Arthur said simply and left the kitchen to go find his scarf that he had abandoned in his worry for Alfred. As he hung up his outdoor wear in the closet hall, he heard the old chairs creek as Alfred shifted slightly in the other room.

"Yea, well, I was concentrating on something." Alfred mumbled as Arthur re-entered the kitchen and dropped his keys into a small decorative teacup that Alfred and Mathew had made for him a while ago. "Anyways, where's Mattie?" Alfred asked, his face brightening up noticeably. "I haven't seen him all day! Dude, do ya know how weird it is to go a whole day without seeing your twin brother once? It's just plain weird, man."

Arthur froze in mid reach opening up a cabinet, his face going pale.

"Oh god," He whispered. Alfred sat up a little straighter in his chair, alarm starting to appear in his expression.

"What?" Alfred asked his voice somewhat higher than before. "Arthur, what's wrong?"

"I think I left him at the school!" Arthur cried, spinning around to look at Alfred with wide eyes. "I don't remember him coming in the house with me; I'm a terrible guardian! How could I leave him there!"

"No way, you didn't." Alfred gaped at Arthur. "How did you forget him? Isn't that the reason why you left the house in the first place?"

"I know, I know! I don't know how either! Drat, Alfred, I'll be home soon, I have to go back to the school-" Arthur scooped up his keys and was on his way to the door when a soft hand firmly gripped his sleeve. Arthur paused, and turned to look into deep blue eyes with a slight indigo shade to them.

"Arthur, I'm right here," said a quiet voice.

"Mattie!" Alfred yelped, causing both Arthur and Matthew to jump. "Dude, when did you get here? Don't creep up on us like that man you scared the livin' daylights outta me!" Matthew frowned and glanced at his twin, annoyance showing through his calm demeanor.

"Mathew, where have you been?" Arthur asked. "Why did you suddenly disappear? I was about to go back to the school you know," he huffed and placed the keys back in the teacup.

"But I was here the entire time-" Matthew started to say before Alfred interrupted him.

"Mattie, give me some brother love!" Alfred held out his arms towards his younger brother. Matthew sighed, but surrendered and gave into Alfred's wish. Alfred clutched Matthew in a bone breaking hug that would have knocked the wind out of anyone had it not been Mathew. Mathew returned the hug gently then moved away to look into Alfred's blue eyes.

"You're looking better," he remarked. Alfred beamed.

"Well duh! I'm the hero! No cold could have kept me down!" He boasted. Arthur chuckled.

"Just be lucky that it was just a cold and not something worse," He opened the cabinet and took out a stainless steel pot, placing it on the countertop beside him.

"Uh, Arthur," Alfred cleared his throat nervously. "What'cha doin'?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm making you chicken soup, isn't that the best way to get rid of a cold?" Matthew and Alfred quickly looked at each other with fear in their eyes as Arthur continued to take out various cooking materials, his back to the two younger boys. "And its '_What are you doing_' not '_What'cha doin'_! It's a miracle you are able to survive in the world today with such atrocious grammar as you have." Arthur turned around and Matthew and Alfred immediately looked away from each other.

"Wow, Arthur, um, that sounds great and all," Matthew started to say nervously as Arthur took out a sharp chopping knife. "But, I have a _ton_ of homework, and I'll probably be staying up all night as it is," Alfred was shooting daggers with his eyes at Matthew behind Arthur's back. "So I'll have to decline, maybe another time!" Mathew darted out of the kitchen, pausing only to grab his polar bear shaped backpack that he had dropped. Arthur watched him go with surprise while Alfred slumped in defeat, throwing his head backwards to look at the ceiling with a grumpy expression.

"By god, that boy can move when he wants to," Arthur said, shaking his head. "Shame he's too busy to enjoy my excellent cooking! Ah well, that just means there is more for us to take pleasure in, Alfred!" Alfred grunted in reply and Arthur happily continued to make the soup.

After a while, Arthur was once again aware of the strange silence that was settling over the house. Not that he minded of course- there was hardly ever any peace and quiet and when there was, it never seemed to last for very long. However it was odd that Alfred had not made any attempts to talk to Arthur yet, regardless of being sick or not.

"You know, I'm surprised," Arthur said with his back to Alfred while mixing the soup with a spoon. "I would have thought that you would have put some music or something while I was gone. You normally hate the silence of an empty house don't you?"

"Yeah, well normally I would have." Alfred answered after a slight pause. "But I got distracted when the doorbell rang and I had to answer it." Arthur dropped his spoon which made a loud clang as it hit the tiled floor. He whirled around and stared at Alfred in shock.

"What."

Alfred at least managed to look sheepish under Arthur's heady glare.

"Uh, well, uh, I know you said not to open the door under any circumstances, but-"

"Yes and why didn't you listen to me?" Arthur started to say angrily.

"_But_," Alfred continued, interrupting Arthur. "I knew who it was. Do you remember Kat?" Arthur looked at Alfred with a blank expression on his face.

"Who?"

"You know, Kat. Katyusha Braginski? The girl who took care of Mattie and me when we were in the orphanage? Older sister to that Russian guy I really hate?"

"Ah, yes, now I remember. And it's '_Matthew and I_' Alfred."

"Yeah, well, anyhow, she was looking through some of the stuff in this closet in the orphanage, and she found this old cardboard box filled with some books in it. On the box it said 'Jones'." Arthur frowned. Jones was Alfred and Matthew's last name. He would had preferred it if they had both switched to his own last name, 'Kirkland', after he had adopted them when they were 8, but to his dismay both of the twins had politely but firmly refused.

"So this box, it belonged to your parents then?" Arthur begrudgingly asked. Alfred nodded eagerly.

"Yea! At least that's what Kat said. So I started to look through the books, and some of them actually looked pretty good." Arthur stopped leaning down to pick up the spoon he had dropped only to gawk at Alfred as the boy looked thoughtfully into the distance. Was this the same Alfred that Arthur had woken up this morning? Or was this some alien creature that was identical to him in every way except personality?

"Did you just say you _liked_ the books? Wait, let me guess. They were comic books weren't they?" Arthur shook his head, grabbed the spoon and stood up.

"Actually, no, they weren't." Alfred admitted.

"Picture books then," Arthur said.

"Nope," Arthur glared at Alfred while the teenager grinned.

"Oh, come off it." Arthur scoffed. "There's no way that they were _real_ books."

"Why not?" Alfred argued. "I can like books, Arthur. Just because I don't like Shakyespear,- "

Arthur slammed the spoon on the countertop and glared at Alfred.

"Shakespeare, Alfred." He hissed. "_Shake_. _Speare_. Not Shakyespear! No human in their right mind that would have a name like that!"

"Well, whatever," Alfred said, obviously not caring what Arthur was saying. "That's how I remember to spell his name, ok? Anyway, I was looking through the pile of books, and I realized that most of them were written by this guy called Dean Koontz. And I figured, 'Hey, this guy must be an amazing writer if my parents liked his books so much,' So, I picked up the next book by Koontz that I saw and started to read it." Alfred now had a small paperback book in his hand and held it out to Arthur. Arthur took the book and read at the title. _Hideaway_, by Dean Koontz, _NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLER! _was displayed across the front cover. Arthur saw a dog-ear on one of the pages towards the middle of the book and Arthur opened it to page 200. This is what Alfred was doing when I first walked in, Arthur realized with surprise. That's why he didn't hear me when I first called him. He was too busy reading.

Arthur looked back up at Alfred, who had an excited puppy like look on his face, and handed back the book. Alfred took it with eagerness that Arthur recognized. Feeling his own face go stony, Arthur turned back to the soup and angrily added some ingredients. Who cared if Alfred liked the book anyways? It didn't matter that it had once belonged to the original Jones'…or that Alfred bluntly refused to read any of the books that Arthur recommended. No, he wasn't jealous. Why would he be jealous? Arthur forcibly turned the stove's temperature higher and slammed the cabinet door shut. After all, of course Alfred would want some type of connection with his parents. Why wouldn't he? All orphans wanted that connection; it didn't matter if the parents were dead or alive. And Alfred was no different.

"Hey Arthur," Alfred piped up suddenly.

"What?" Arthur snapped.

"You know, I was thinking, this book kinda reminds me of you." Arthur paused, and turned to look at Alfred who stared back with an honest smile.

"Really." Arthur said after a moment. "How so?"

"Well, there's this girl in the book," said Alfred. "Her name is Regina. And she's an orphan too, just like Mattie and I," Alfred explained and Arthur started slightly when Alfred used correct grammar. "And she's living with this couple who took her in even after she treated them really bad the first time they met, and they like really love her you know? Like a lot. And I can just tell right away, they're gonna be an awesome family." Alfred stared at Arthur with clear sapphire blue eyes. "Just like us, right Arthur? Remember the first time we met? I treated you like dirt the first time I saw you."

"I remember," Arthur managed to say.

"Yea, I thought you were gonna take me away from Mattie. But then you ended up taking us both in even after I was really mean to you." Alfred looked outside at the falling leaves and the cloudy gray sky. "And even now, I'm sick and you stayed home from work today to take care of me. Heck, you're even making me soup." Alfred shook his head and smiled at Arthur who was standing in place frozen.

"I guess what I'm trying to say, what I really _want_ to say, is thank you, Arthur." Alfred smiled again. "I don't know who else would put up with me after all these years, so thank you. I know I don't say it a lot, and I know you deserve more than just those two words, but it's the most I can do right now." Alfred stood up, walked over to Arthur and wrapped his arms around his guardian giving him a hug.

"Thanks, Arthur."

Alfred released Arthur, smiled slightly at the shocked face Arthur was making and ruffled his hair. Then he left the room, leaving the Dean Koontz book behind on the table. Arthur stood there, unable to move from all of the emotions running through him. After a moment, Arthur started to smile and held his hands up to his face to stop himself from dancing around the kitchen in joy. That was the reason he had adopted Alfred and his brother. Because underneath that loud, annoying, obnoxious personality of his, Alfred was a good, kind kid. The kind that deserved a worthwhile home where he and his brother could live with someone who loved them unconditionally. Someone like Arthur.

Arthur turned back to the soup and started to hum softly to himself.

"JUST MAKE SURE NOT TO BURN THE SOUP!" Alfred suddenly yelled from across the house, causing Arthur to drop the spoon once again on the floor. Arthur swore.

"SHUT UP YOU BLOODY FOOL AND GO READ SOME SHAKESPEARE!" Arthur shouted back, turning red from anger.

In the end though, Alfred was just Alfred. And that was something Arthur was going to have to live with.

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**This was actually written on the 14****th**** and it took a much longer time to write than I would have thought after reading it over. This story was inspired by true events and objects that were around that day.**

**Right now, I am actually reading the book**** Hideaway**** by Dean Koontz and there is an orphaned girl named Regina in the story. I love his books so much, but I want to say right now that if you are scared or grossed out easily, don't read any of his books. Seriously, I get goose bumps from reading some of his stories.**

**I'm pretty sure that I'm going continue this story but it depends on inspiration. However the chapters would not be in order and it would be updated at completely random intervals.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	2. The Frog

**11/17/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**Speak French? NO! I wish I did though, I think it is a beautiful language. So if I don't write something right, I apologize in advance.**

**Is this FrUk? **_**NO**_**! I will **_**never**_** write FrUk. I'm sorry; I just can't see them together as a couple. In this story, France loves Jeanne regardless of where she is in the universe.**

**Is this Franada? NO! It's not that either. So far there are no pairings in this story other than FrancexJeanne.**

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters (Alfred Jones/USA/ America, Arthur Kirkland/UK/ England, Matthew Jones/Williams/Canada, Francis Bonnefoy/France). On a side note, I do not own Jeanne D'Arc. She was a real person who lived in France a **_**very**_** long time ago; I did not invent her as a character, I just gave her the type of personality I thought she would have if she was living today. Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Francis comes over for a visit on Thanksgiving and past history is revealed. Alfred and Mathew are 10, Arthur is 22, Francis is 27, this is Alfred and Matthew's second Thanksgiving with Arthur.**

-o0o-

Francis Bonnefoy was one of the many things that Arthur listed under "sacrifices" that he had made for Alfred and Matthew so that they could be a happy family.

Francis Bonnefoy was a wealthy French man who had once thought of adopting Matthew as his child along with his wife, Jeanne, back when Alfred and Mathew had both still lived in the orphanage, long before Arthur had ever set eyes on Alfred. Matthew had quickly become attached to the Bonnefoys while they were considering adoption, and had even started to call Francis 'Papa', much to Alfred's dismay. The only problem Matthew had with the young couple was that they were only looking for one child to become their future son/daughter. This meant that if Matthew was to become part of the Bonnefoy family, he would have to leave his twin and best friend, Alfred, behind at the orphanage.

But then tragedy struck, and a fire occurred where Jeanne worked. In the process of trying to save some of the people who were caught in the burning building, Jeanne was overcome by the smoke and passed out. Two days after being rescued by fire fighters and put in the hospital, she died. Francis withdrew from the adoption immediately, though he still visited the twins on a regular basis. A short while later, Arthur saw Alfred on a street and quickly adopted both boys into his family.

The only problem: Francis continued to visit the twins even _after _Arthur adopted them. Which meant random visits from Francis to Arthur's house, calls at all times of the day for completely absurd reasons, and the most annoyance and dislike Arthur had ever felt from or for any other person in his life. Alfred and Matthew however, never understood why Arthur hated Francis so much, when it was clear to them that Francis meant no harm and considered Arthur a good, if not a close, personal friend after a few months. Arthur saw things differently. The man was after all, a French Frog, and Arthur himself was an English Gentleman. Arthur firmly believed that there was no way that he and Francis could possibly coexist peacefully, much less attempt to become friends, especially while both were trying to constantly win over the twin's affections.

_Ding dong!_

Alfred and Matthew looked up simultaneously at the sound of the doorbell ringing. After glancing at each other, they scrambled out of the kitchen chairs and ran into the hall. In an attempt to race the other to the front door, the twins ended up colliding into one of the hallway's walls, unable to stop themselves from sliding on the hard wooden floor.

"Ow, god!" Alfred cried, clutching his forehead in pain. "Mattie, why'd you push me?"

"I did not push you!" Matthew grumbled, rubbing his nose. "_You_ were the one grabbing _me_ because you thought I was going to beat you."

"Did not! A hero would never cheat like that!"

"I guess you're not much of a hero then, are you?"

They glared at each other. Alfred opened his mouth to say something, but once again, the doorbell rang.

_Ding dong!_

Both of the twins stared at the door warily, unsure about whether to answer it or not.

"Arthur said not to open the door," said Matthew hesitantly.

"Yea, but only when he's not home. He is home," Alfred argued.

"He's in the garden though; I don't think he would want us to open the door to strangers, even if he is home. What if it's a bad person?"

"Then being the hero I am, I would defeat the bad guy and kick him out of the house!" Alfred said confidently, ignoring Mathew who was rolling his eyes. "Besides, what if it's someone we _do_ know? Then it would be rude to _not_ open the door."

"But we have no way of knowing-"

"_Les tout-petits_, open the door. I know you are in there," Alfred and Matthew started at the familiar voice and wide grins started to form on their faces. "Unless of course, you do not want any of this wonderful food I have brought-" Alfred immediately stepped forward and yanked open the door, revealing a tall blond with sunglasses carrying several plastic bags.

"Francis!" Matthew cried, running at the man.

"_Matthieu_!" Francis dropped the bags, picked up Matthew and spun him around in the air, causing him to laugh with glee.

"And of course, my dear Alfred," Francis said after placing Matthew down safely on the ground. Alfred threw himself into Francis' arms, smiling into his jacket.

"Francis, what are you doing here?" Matthew asked when Alfred had released his hold on the Frenchman.

"Well, _mon cher_, today is a holiday for you Americans, is it not?"

"Mhm. It's Thanksgiving." Alfred spoke as Francis picked up his bags and shut the door. "That's why Mattie and me have off from school today."

"And holidays are supposed to be wonderful days spent with people who make you happy, are they not?"

"But you don't make Arthur happy," Alfred said as the twins followed Francis into the kitchen. Francis placed the bags on the island's countertop and leaned down to look into Alfred and Matthew's eyes.

"But I do make you two happy when I visit, don't I?" he asked softly.

"Yes," Matthew answered right away.

"Which is the only reason why you are even allowed to take a step into this house at all," said a voice from the back porch door. The trio turned and saw Arthur standing in the doorway, a pair of garden gloves in his hand. His green eyes were cold and hard, his figure stiff and unwelcoming. "Frog." He said with distaste.

"Arthur, _mon ami_, it's so nice to see you again," Francis purred, moving towards Arthur to give the Englishman an embrace.

"Try that and you die," Arthur spat, walking around the Frenchman to the sink. Francis chuckled.

"Ah, you are still so cold to me even after knowing me for a good year now."

"No part of knowing you has ever been 'good'. Now, why are you here?" Arthur demanded as he washed his hands free of any remaining dirt from the garden.

"He brought food," Alfred chirped. He and Matthew were peering into the plastic bags that Francis had left on the countertop. Alfred pulled out several different types of vegetables, and held up a bag of breadcrumbs.

"Why'd you bring this Francis?" Alfred poked the food experimentally.

"For the Thanksgiving dinner, no? I believe stuffing is a popular dish for American meals this time of the year."

"Wow, we never get stuffing." Matthew said his eyes wide.

"You are not invited to dinner, Frog." Arthur growled. Alfred and Matthew made disappointed faces behind his back. "I already have a good, healthy dinner in mind for Alfred and Matthew, and I do not need your help making it."

"I think you are forgetting what happened last Thanksgiving, _mon ami_. I seem to recall Matthew almost choking to death on those things you call scones."

"T-that was an accident!" Arthur stuttered, turning bright red. "He was talking while he was eating and he just happened to be trying my scones at that moment. My cooking skills had nothing to do with it! Right, Matthew?" He turned on the younger twin, who almost fell out of his chair at the sudden abruptness of the question.

"I, er, don't remember," Matthew lied.

"See!" Arthur gloated, turning back to Francis. "If it was my cooking that caused the choking, he would have remembered! Plus Alfred was fine!" Alfred turned pale at the memory and Francis raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"That or he is lying to make you feel better," He remarked, causing Arthur to flush. "But that is beside the point! _S'il vous plait_, Arthur, at least let me help you make the meal," Francis begged, trailing after Arthur when the smaller man turned and walked away from him and out of the kitchen. "Alfred and Matthew deserve to have an excellent Thanksgiving dinner, and even though you won't admit it, the only way that is possible is if I help you." Arthur continued to ignore him, purposefully stomping his feet to make loud, heavy footsteps as if to drown out Francis' voice. "I haven't seen either of them in a long time and they are happy to see me! Don't dishearten them by forcing me leave!" This made Arthur pause, and Francis almost walked into the Brit before stopping himself.

Arthur whirled around and then he was in Francis' face. Despite the fact that Arthur was a few inches shorter than Francis, he had a way of making people cower before him that made Arthur a force to be reckoned with. Francis was experiencing this at the moment as Arthur glared at him.

"Fine, you can stay," Arthur said unexpectedly. "But only because you somehow make the twins happy in a way that is unknown to me. However, if you hurt them at all, emotionally, physically, or even if it is by accident, I will not hesitate to throw you out of the house and out of their lives. Permanently. Do I make myself clear."

It was not a question the way that Arthur phrased the last sentence, and Francis experienced a thrill of fear before willing it away. This was Arthur, for god's sake. It wasn't like he was a dangerous pirate holding a sword to Francis' throat.

"Do you really think that I would hurt a child whom I considered adopting not so long ago?" he asked with annoyance as it was obvious to him that Arthur did not trust him around the twins.

"No, I know you would not purposefully hurt them," Arthur answered honestly, surprising Francis. "But I do not want to take the chance. So if you want to stay, make sure you treat _both_ of the boys as if you adopted them as your sons." Arthur had a hard, serious expression on his face. He truly meant what he was saying, Francis realized. This time, instead of fear, Francis felt a pang of admiration for this young man who had made those two young boys the center of his world.

Francis smiled warmly and did a small bow for Arthur, who stared at him with shock.

"Of course, _mon cher ami_, I would never think of doing otherwise." Arthur's eye twitched.

"Hmph, good. I'm glad we cleared things up then." He turned to leave, but Francis grabbed his sleeve before he got far.

"There is one more thing that I want to talk to you about," he said. Arthur sighed, but waited.

"I believe we have started off on the wrong foot," Francis began. "I know we have not gotten along in the past, but we cannot constantly be fighting as if we are a married couple since we both know that is not, and will never be, true. I wish to start over for the sake of the boys as well as for the sake of our sanity. So, what do you say? Can we at least try to be friends?" Francis held out his hand.

Arthur looked at Francis, for a moment unable to speak. Then he nodded and reached out his hand to meet Francis'. They shook once and let go immediately.

"You know, you're not half as bad as I had originally thought," Arthur commented on their way back to the kitchen. Francis smirked.

There was a slight pause.

"You are still a frog though," said Arthur. "That's one thing that will never change about you for me, I'm afraid." Francis chuckled.

"I know. And you will always have enormous eyebrows, I'm afraid." He said casually.

Francis rushed ahead of Arthur before his last comment started to sink in, and arrived in the kitchen first only to find a mess of cooking utensils and food everywhere. Apparently, the twins had tried to start cooking the meal without help from the adults. Alfred and Matthew looked up sheepishly from the floor where they were attempting to clean up the mess. It was then that Arthur chose to make his entrance, red in the face from being angry at Francis, then from shock at the mess, and finally confusion from trying to figure out which problem he should deal with first. Francis smiled to himself.

Sometimes, it was good to be the Frog.

-o0o-

French Translations according to Google:

_Les tout-petits_- little ones

_Matthiue_- Matthew

_mon cher_- my dear

_mon ami_- my friend

_s'il vous plait_- please

_mon cher ami_- my dear friend

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**-I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. XD I loved writing how protective, bad guy Arthur argued with Francis while Alfred and Matthew were like the peace keepers of the relationship.**

**-Sorry for the OOCness in this chapter. No offense to anyone, but I don't really like France as a character because his personality really annoys me. I have never read any fanfiction where he is the main character, so I have no idea how he normally acts or behaves. So, if he doesn't act like himself, that's why. On the other hand, I really like him when he is in the FACE family. I think most of his good traits show up when he is a father figure to Matthew and, to an extent, Alfred as well. **

**-Arthur is not usually this mean to Francis. It's actually after this Thanksgiving that he starts to treat Francis nicer and more like a friend than an enemy.**

**-I have no idea what kids under the age of 14 are like. So if Matthew and Alfred don't act their age, that's why.**

**-Sorry if Matthew is a bit OOC here too. I have a personal opinion that he is louder and more like himself when around people he is comfortable with, especially when he is only around Alfred. **

**-I just realized that I was spelling Matthew's name wrong for the entire first chapter, so I just went back and changed it. I was writing '**_**Mathew**_**' instead of '**_**Matthew**_**'. How dumb is that? So, for future notice, I really suck at spelling and please forgive me for my many mistakes.**

**-I'm going to put up how old the main characters are in the "summary section" of the Author's Notes at the beginning of the chapters so you guys know what has happened up to that point in time. Again, I apologize if it is unrealistic.**

**-Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	3. Special Relationship

**11/20/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**Is this USUK/UKUS? NO! If you see it like that, you can, but then Arthur would be considered a pedophile since he is 12 years older than Alfred. Arthur is not a stalker in this story either, just so you know. **

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters (Alfred Jones/USA/ America, Arthur Kirkland/UK/ England, Matthew Jones/Williams/Canada, Francis Bonnefoy/France, Katyusha Braginski/ Ukraine). Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Alfred's first impressions about Arthur, their second time meeting. Alfred and Mathew are 8, Arthur is 20, Francis is 25 (I'm only putting up the main characters' ages, so for minor characters like Katyusha you can make up whatever age you want, just know that she is in the teenager-young adult range); this is sometime in the early fall, about a month or two after Jeanne died and Francis withdrew the adoption for Matthew, but before Arthur adopted the twins.**

-o0o-

"Hey, Mattie, what do ya think about that guy we met the other day?" Matthew paused to look up at Alfred who was lying on his back staring up at the beige ceiling.

"What?"

"You know, that old guy with the funny accent and the huge furry things on his face?"

"You mean the nice British man who helped you find your way back to us after you got lost last week?" Matthew asked as he went back to coloring his polar bear with waxy, Crayola crayons.

"Yea, him."

"Well, I'm not sure. I only met him for a second when Katyusha thanked him for finding you. And he really wasn't that old, Al. Francis is older than that man was," Alfred made a face.

"Well, he sure acted like an old man, with his weird voice, 'nd stuff." He muttered, trailing off at the end.

"He only sounded weird to you because he was visiting from different country; _we're_ the ones that sound weird to him."

"Psh, what are ya talking about Mattie? I never sound weird!" Alfred huffed from his position on the bed.

"Yes, you do. You're always weird."

"No, I'm not!" Alfred insisted, flipping onto his stomach and glaring at his brother. Matthew sighed but let the argument go.

For a moment, it was quiet except for the sound of Matthew's coloring.

"Why'd you ask?" Matthew said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you ask about the British man?" Matthew repeated.

"Oh. Well, I saw him the other day." Matthew made an odd gasping sound and dropped his Crayons. He gaped at Alfred, who watched him with a startled expression.

"Did you talk to him?" without waiting for a response, he continued. "Alfred, you know we're not supposed to talk to strangers! Remember what Katyusha told us? 'Stranger, danger', remember?"

"Jeesh, calm down, I didn't talk to him, ok? There's no reason to anyways, he's so boring; all he talks about is this William guy who wrote some big, stupid play." Alfred looked grumpily out the window at the busy streets. "Plus, we're not strangers. You said so yourself, he helped me."

"Just because he helped you that one time doesn't mean he's not a stranger! You know _nothing _about him; you don't even know his name! Promise me you won't talk that guy again." Alfred stuck his tongue out at him, and Matthew took that as a yes. He sighed and picked up his Crayons. Why was he always the one looking after Alfred and not the other way around? Since Alfred was older, shouldn't he be the one taking care of Matthew?

"You know what I was thinking?" Alfred asked eagerly as he bounced of his bed and walked over to Matthew.

"No, and I really don't want to either." He stood up and backed away from his twin, scowling.

"I was thinking," Alfred continued, not noticing Matthew's frightened look. "That those things on his face are caterpillars!" Matthew blanched.

"What?" he squeaked.

"Yea, caterpillars! Big, huge, furry caterpillars!"

"W-why would he have caterpillars on his face?" Matthew stuttered, feeling sick. He hadn't liked bugs since Alfred had shown him worms while they were eating spaghetti for dinner one day.

"I dun know. Maybe, he has a really embarrassing birthmark or something, and he wanted to cover it up, so he ended up gluing the caterpillars to his forehead and now he can't get them off!" Alfred's eyes lit up with ideas and he bounced on his feet. Matthew on the other hand, felt like he was about to pass out.

"That's so gross," he whimpered, sagging against the wall. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, what else would it be? No one has eyebrows like that, they're too big. So it has to be something else right? Why not caterpillars?" Alfred and Matthew were nose-to-nose now; Alfred excited and jumpy where as Matthew was pale and sickly looking.

"Boys, I heard noises, what's going on-" A young woman with short, light blonde hair appeared in the doorway, pausing when she saw the twins.

"K-Katyusha!" Matthew wailed, pushing past Alfred, running over and throwing his arms around her waist. "Alfred's being mean to me!" he sobbed and Katyusha stumbled back a step under the weight of the small boy.

"Was not," Alfred scoffed, folding his arms. "We were just talking,"

"And you were trying to purposefully scare me at the same time!" Matthew glared at him with tears in his eyes. "Why do you have to be so annoying all the time?" Alfred bristled.

"Why do you have to be so quiet all the time?" He retorted.

"Bully!"

"Crybaby!"

"Katyusha! Make him stop!" He buried his face into the fabric of her clothes.

"Okay, okay, boys let's calm down and talk about this," she went down on her knees and hugged Matthew, rubbing his back in comforting circles. She sent Alfred a confused look over Matthew's shoulder, and he shrugged.

"Alfred, why don't you go for a walk while I try to calm your brother down," she suggested.

"A walk?" he grimaced.

"Yes, Alfred, honey, a walk. Please?" she raised her voice when Matthew's cries increased in volume.

"Okay…" Alfred walked out of the room he shared with his brother and sprinted down the next flight of stairs he found. Once on the ground floor, he ducked out of sight of Katyusha's younger brother, whom he had a habit of getting into fights with, and found himself outside. Outside in the sun. Alfred blinked in the sudden brightness, and then closed his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips as a light breeze ruffled his hair.

Maybe he had been a bit harsh on Matthew, but it really wasn't Alfred's fault. Once an idea formed in his mind, Alfred couldn't help but share it with the person closest to him. And that just happened to be Matthew at the time. But…Alfred _did_ know that his brother hated bugs. He probably could've made an effort to not tell Matthew about the caterpillar thing. Alfred sighed, his eyes still closed. He would have to apologize later. His face screwed up at the thought; Alfred hated apologizing. Apologizing meant admitting that you had done something wrong; it meant admitting that you were the bad guy, even if it was just for a second.

And Alfred was _not_ the bad guy.

"Are you alright there, lad?"

Alfred jumped in surprise and let out a tiny shriek, his eyes flying open at the unexpected voice.

There stood the British man, watching Alfred with a bemused smile. He was wearing a long, expensive looking coat, with his hands in his pockets. The coat was dark in color, and it wasn't buttoned up all of the way, revealing a tidy business suit paired with a plain maroon tie.

"Y-you!" Alfred cried in shock.

"Hmph, well that's hardly a way to greet someone," the man said. "I do have a name boy, and it's not 'you'! It's Arthur, Arthur Kirkland."

"W-what are you doing here?" Alfred exclaimed, ignoring Arthur's second sentence. "Are you following me around or something?"

"What? No, why would you think that?" Arthur flushed.

"I saw you the other day! You were standing across the street, staring at the orphanage!" Alfred accused angrily.

"I was taking a stroll around the neighborhood, is that a crime here in America?"

"What are you doing today then? Taking another 'walk'?"

"Obviously." Arthur scoffed.

"What's _so_ important to you that you have to go for a walk on the same street every single day?"

"I don't go for a walk every single day," Arthur snapped, starting to get annoyed with the persistent child. "And most defiantly not in the same place! I just happened to be wandering around the city when I saw you standing there."

"You must be one of those weird healthy people who go for walks for fun then," Alfred wrinkled his nose in dislike.

"No! I'm not, I-ugh," Arthur ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "God, you are so hard to argue with, you know that? Fine, if you must know, this is what I do during my break."

"Break? What are you talking about, it's not summer yet," Alfred said with confusion.

"No," Arthur sighed and leaned his back against the brick wall of the orphanage. "I'm not talking about summer break; I'm talking about my lunch break from work. I like to go for walks to clear my head; sometimes I just explore whatever city I'm in at the moment, since I never stay in one place for long and I like to see what each place is like before I leave."

"Oh," Alfred looked at his feet, quiet for a minute. "Does that mean you're gonna leave America soon?" he felt a strange twinge of regret as he spoke.

"No, I'm not leaving yet; I still have a lot of work left to do here." The side of Arthur's mouth quirked upwards to form a small smile. "Why? Do you not want me to leave?"

"No! I'm just bored, and…" Alfred looked up at the window of the bedroom he shared with Matthew, and frowned as he remembered why he was out here in the first place.

"And?" Arthur questioned, attempting to follow Alfred's gaze.

"And I have nothing better to do, so talking with you wastes time." Alfred purposefully glanced away from the window, choosing to look at his feet instead. Arthur stared at Alfred, a frustration ghosting across his face. What was the child so bothered about, for god's sake?

"Well then, since you have 'nothing better to do', why don't you walk with me?" Alfred's head snapped up in surprise at the unexpected request. "I usually walk alone, but I believe I can make an exception this one time. That is, if you want to?"

Alfred chewed on his bottom lip, thinking about the offer. Aside from school, Katyusha always insisted that Alfred and Matthew never go anywhere outside without a responsible chaperone and permission from one of the adults who ran the orphanage. Technically, Katyusha _had_ told Alfred to go for a walk. That could be considered permission, right? Right. And Arthur seemed to be a responsible guy. However, Matthew did tell Alfred not to talk to Arthur again, but Alfred had already broken that rule before Arthur had even invited him to walk together.

"Yeah ok, why not?" Arthur nodded, satisfied with the answer and pushed himself off the building.

"Excellent. Shall we, then?" Alfred rolled his eyes at the other's use of vocabulary but followed the Brit as he walked down the street.

"I don't believe I ever caught your name, lad." Arthur said casually as the pair avoided a hot dog stand.

"Oh, Alfred. My name's Alfred."

"Well, it's a pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance then, Alfred. I am-"

"Arthur. You're Arthur." Alfred laughed at the other's startled expression. "You said so before, at the orphanage, remember?" he explained, grinning.

"Yes, of course. How silly of me to forget. Speaking of which, you do know how to get back after this is over, don't you?" Arthur asked as they reached the end of the street and made a right.

"Psh, duh, I've only been living here my entire life. I know this place better than the back of a hamburger." He boasted proudly. Knowing Alfred, this was something of notice since the boy practically breathed in hamburgers day in and day out.

"I take it you enjoy those greasy sandwiches then." Arthur sniffed in distaste.

"Yea! They're like the best thing ever invented! I dun know how people survived back when we were cavemen." Alfred shook his head, pitying the early humans.

"Hm. Well, I like tea and scones better."

"Is that a type of coffee? 'Cause coffee's good too! I had some once and it was so awesome, but Kat says I can't have anymore 'cause it makes me too hyper," Arthur's lips twitched in amusement but shook his head.

"No, it is not coffee. Tea is an English drink; it's quite popular in London. Maybe I'll bring some for you next time we meet."

"M'kay," Alfred skipped next to Arthur. "I don't really care; I like trying new things."

"That's wonderful. It's always good to try something new; you just might end up finding something you never expected."

They stopped at a red light and Arthur smiled at the boy fondly. He was enjoying the company much more than he would have originally thought. Alfred was like a breath of fresh air; he didn't know or understand the hardships of life and saw everything in a different light than Arthur did. It made Arthur look at things in another way than he had done before he had met the boy. Alfred on the other hand didn't notice that he was being watched; he was too interested in looking around, observing the busyness of the city in the afternoon. He had never been away from the orphanage for this long without a chaperone. This was awesome! As soon as he got back he was going to-

That was when Alfred spotted a flower stand outside of a store, close to where he and Arthur were standing. He froze, staring at the array of flowers, which was a splash of color against the gray backdrop of the buildings. Arthur noticed how Alfred tensed, and followed his gaze to the stand. Arthur studied it, wondering why it was causing such a strong reaction in the child. It wasn't like it was anything strange; there were stands every few blocks in a city like this.

"Alfred?" The American jerked at the sound of his name, and his blue eyes swam back into focus.

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, uh, yea, I'm fine." He glanced at the flowers again.

"Are you quite sure?" Arthur insisted.

"Yeah, it's just, the flowers," He gestured at the stand. "They're really pretty. It might be girly, but I love flowers. We never get any at the orphanage unless it's from charity or some random person who feels pity for a bunch of young kids who're stuck in the city all year round. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the orphanage and everyone who takes care of me there, but I wish for just once, that I could go someplace else. Some place where the sun shines all of the time, where everything is free and quiet and calm. Some place where maybe I can grow my own flowers, and give them to someone I really care about." Alfred stared at them longingly.

Without a second thought, Arthur strode over to the stand, dragging Alfred along by the arm.

"Ow, Arthur, what-"

"One flower, please," Arthur told the man who was selling flowers as he reached into his pocket for his wallet. Alfred's eyes went wide when he realized what Arthur was doing.

"Arthur, no, don't buy anything for me, it's not important-"

"Which one do you want?" Arthur asked Alfred as he handed the man a dollar bill. "I won't accept no for an answer, Alfred."

"But I don't-"

"Alfred. Just pick one." Arthur glared at him.

Gulping, Alfred nodded, slightly scared of Arthur's sudden anger. After inspecting the different types of flowers, Alfred pointed to a single red rose that stood alone in the back of the stand. The man plucked it carefully and handed it over to him. Alfred took it, staring at it like it was a precious jewel instead of just a common flower. He stroked a petal, and then turned to Arthur, a dazzling smile lighting up his face, momentarily stunning the Brit.

"Thank you, this means a ton to me," Alfred beamed.

"Uh- of course. Don't mention it," Arthur answered numbly as they turned around and started to head back the way they had came. Alfred smiled at everyone who looked his way, causing some of the people to do a double take at his obvious happiness. Arthur watched with bafflement as the child continued to glow with joy as he held the simple rose. Arthur had never seen anyone as animated as Alfred did at that moment.

"Alfred," the boy's head whipped around to look at Arthur. "Just out of curiosity, why did you choose the rose out of all of the flowers there?"

"Oh," the smile faded, and Arthur inwardly panicked at the sight.

"It just reminded me of my mother," Alfred explained. "Her last name was Rose before she married my Dad. That and it's me and my brother's favorite type of flower." He touched another petal, handling it as gently as if it was made of glass.

"It's my favorite flower too," Arthur told Alfred, feeling guilty for making him upset. "And Rose is a beautiful last name. What was your mother's first name?"

"Amelia, Amelia Rose. I don't really know anything else about her though, other than the fact that Mattie and I apparently look a lot like her."

"Do you miss her?" Arthur asked.

"Well, I never knew her. I'm sad that I won't ever get to meet her or talk to her, but it's kinda hard to miss something you never had, ya know? Plus- don't tell Mattie this-" Alfred said in a hushed whisper. "But I talk to her sometimes."

Arthur blinked.

"I'm afraid I don't understand. How can you talk to your mother if she died?"

"I pray to her," Alfred answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And I tell her stuff. She doesn't answer or anything, but sometimes it's nice just to talk and to have someone listen instead of telling you what you should or shouldn't do." He shrugged. "So, in a way, I'm still connected to her. Even though I wish she was here and Mattie and I weren't in an orphan home, it's ok because I know she's still there when I really need her." Arthur felt an ache in his heart for the young boy who was walking beside him. Alfred looked so sad and wistful to the point where he almost sounded lonely. He was the exact opposite of the bouncing ball of energy Arthur had witnessed only moments before.

By this time, they were back on Alfred's street and they were nearing the orphanage. Before they reached it, Arthur turned around and stopped Alfred.

"So, you have a special relationship with her would you say?" he asked.

"Mmm, yea, I guess you could say that," Alfred said after a second, and Arthur crouched down so that they were eye level.

"Alfred, what if as an alternative to praying to your mother when you need to talk to someone, how about you come find me instead?" Arthur suggested, searching in Alfred's deep blue eyes for any flicker of rejection or refusal. After all, they had only met twice, but the thought of Alfred praying to his dead mother alone at night in need of guidance or acceptance made Arthur's stomach turn with a desperate need to hold the boy close and never let him go. Someone as bright and happy as Alfred should never be without somebody who wouldn't listen or pay attention to him, especially when the boy was distressed or troubled. Arthur wanted to be that somebody for Alfred, that is, if the child wished it as well.

"W-what?" Alfred gaped at Arthur, not with rejection, Arthur noted with relief, but with shock.

"I know it's rather odd to suddenly propose you to come talk to a random person you've only met twice when you need to confide in someone," Arthur started to say. "But I think-"

"You would do that for me?" Alfred interrupted him.

"I- yes, I would-"

Alfred launched himself at the crouching man, throwing his arms around Arthur and hugged the Brit with all of his might. Arthur nearly fell over from the force of Alfred's embrace, but somehow managed to stay upright. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around the small child and hugged him back. Alfred pulled away first, beaming. This was the most wonderful thing anyone had ever offered to do for him outside the orphanage. By now he could tell that Arthur was different from everyone else. He was special.

"I would like that," Alfred said. "I would like that a lot."

"You would?" Alfred nodded eagerly. "O-okay then, here's my number," Arthur searched his pockets for a pen and quickly scribbled down his personal cell phone number on Alfred's hand. The boy stared at the number, smiling widely. "You can call me anytime, anywhere; I will make sure that I will always answer. Just make sure to write that down as soon as you get inside, alright?" Alfred laughed.

"Yes, sir!" he saluted Arthur. "Thanks for everything, Arthur." He gave Englishman one last quick hug then ran up the steps to the orphanage, leaving Arthur standing alone in the street.

"Oi, Alfred," Arthur called out to the boy before he could disappear into the building. Alfred paused and turned around. "This means I get to see you again, correct?" Alfred grinned, his eyes shining.

"Well, duh! We have a Special Relationship now! You can't make a promise like that and then just expect to disappear into the night without ever seeing me again! I'm gonna hold you to what you said, so don't you dare walk out on me, okay?" With that he turned on his heel, and was gone, taking the rose Arthur had bought with him.

Arthur stood there for a moment, watching the orphanage with a small smile on his face. Then he walked away, whistling as he did so. Arthur's boss was going to kill him; he had over used his break and was defiantly going to pay for it, but Arthur found that he didn't mind. It was worth it, just to spend an interesting afternoon with Alfred.

Alfred waited until Arthur was out of sight before he left the window. He re-climbed the stairs to the second floor, entered his bedroom and placed the rose on his bedside table. He decided he was going to give the rose to Matthew as an apology since he knew his brother loved the flower as much as he did, but that could wait for later. Kneeling on the floor at the foot of his bed, Alfred closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.

_Mom_, he thought, _I'm not going to replace you, but I think I just found somebody who's gonna take good care of me. Just like you would've. _

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**-akldhfkjsfhkjdfh oh my god, what is this, people actually like my boring story? O_o Thank you to everyone who's reading this! It means the world to me, seriously. I love all of you XD This is my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you guys like it! ^^**

**-Yea, this was a long chapter because of all of the dialogue going on. Not all of the chapters will be this long, so please don't expect every chapter to be like this in length.**

**-I know the orphanage is defiantly in the slightly calmer part of **_**a**_** city, but I don't know **_**which**_** city yet. I don't know where the rest of the story takes place either, but I do know for sure is that it takes place in present day time, and that it is in America. Just not sure **_**where**_** in America, exactly, but I'll figure it out sooner or later!**

**-The 'William guy who wrote some big, stupid play' is William Shakespeare, in case anyone was wondering. Even at age 20 Arthur was obsessed with him.**

**-Alfred is kind of a brat in the beginning of the chapter because he's jealous of Bonnefoys still being the center of Matthew's attention even after Francis withdrew from the adoption. Alfred gets better after he meets Arthur though because he's finally got someone he can vent to.**

**- The rose is Alfred, Matthew and Arthur's favorite flower because the rose is the national flower of both England and the United States (and according to the internet, Canada does not have a national flower). I decided that I wanted Alfred and Matthew's mother to be the nyotalia (girl form) of America, so that's why her last name is Rose. Her first name is Amelia because I wanted to name her after Amelia Earhart. Plus, Amelia/Amy Rose sounds nicer than Emily Rose or Jessica Rose or something like that.**

**-I have no idea what kids under the age of 14 are like. So that's the reason why if at any point in the story Alfred and Matthew don't act their age. I apologize if any part of the story is unrealistic.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	4. EVT and an Essay

**11/25/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**What does EVT mean? English Vocabulary Today- I made this up. There is no company or test called the EVT.**

**Are real vocabulary words used in this chapter? YES! I define all of the words at the chapter and if you don't believe that those are the real definitions, feel free to look the words up and check them yourself.**

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters. Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Alfred has trouble remembering his vocabulary words and Arthur, Francis, and Matthew decide to help. Alfred and Mathew are 15, Arthur is 27, Francis is 32, this happens a few weeks after the first chapter.**

-o0o-

Arthur was sitting down with his needlework in the living room when he first heard it.

_Thump! _

A pause.

_Thump! Thump!_

At first, Arthur made an attempt to ignore the obnoxious noise. After all, it was probably just the rain hitting against the house or something trifle like that. The noise wouldn't continue. After all, Arthur had some _serious_ catching up to do with his embroidery, and if this noise didn't go away it would severely hinder his ability to focus-

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

Arthur looked up, annoyed. What in god's name was making that loud noise? Matthew was upstairs in his room writing an essay for his English class, so it couldn't be him. The quiet boy would never make such a sound like that anyways. And Francis- the bloody Frog, coming over _again_ for no reason at all- was sitting on the opposite couch, "reading" the newspaper, sniggering at Arthur's reaction to the noise. So the Frog wasn't the one causing Arthur's irritation either, for once. That left-

_Thump!_

Alfred.

Arthur scowled. Of course it was Alfred, why was he even surprised?

_Thump! Thump!_

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers and squeezing his green eyes shut. Maybe if he just overlooked it, Alfred would stop whatever the bloody hell he was doing, and Arthur would be able to continue his sewing. Determined to concentrate, Arthur picked up the cloth, and had just threaded a needle when he heard it again.

_Thump! Thump!_

"Bloody hell!" Arthur cried, accidently pricking his finger with the needle. Angrily, he threw his work aside, stood up and stormed past a laughing Francis, whom he purposefully ignored. The noise was coming from the kitchen, he was sure of it-

Upon reaching the doorway to the kitchen, Arthur saw a peculiar sight.

Alfred was the one causing Arthur's disturbance; he had been right about that. What he hadn't expected, however, was to see Alfred with his forehead pressed up against the wall, his face scrunched up in frustration.

"I can't-"Alfred hit his head against the wall.

_Thump!_

"-flipping-" Another head bang.

_Thump!_

"-do this." He finished, slamming his head once more.

_Thump!_

"Alfred!" The teenager stopped, and turned to peer at Arthur, his face still bunched up.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Arthur asked, his confusion at Alfred's actions ebbing away his irritation.

"Face palming the wall," Alfred told him, turning to face the wall again. Arthur strode over and quickly grabbed a fistful of the boy's jacket before he had the chance to hurt himself any more. Alfred looked at his guardian through one eye as Arthur forcefully pulled him away from the wall.

"What?" Arthur repeated. Alfred sighed.

"I'm purposefully hitting myself in the wall to let out my anger," he clarified.

"Dear god, Alfred. What could have gotten you so bothered that you would actually try to harm yourself?" Arthur pushed away Alfred's blond bangs, studying the read forehead trying to see if Alfred had somehow managed to seriously injure himself.

"English, what else?" Alfred said miserably, his shoulders hunched. "I don't get the subject Arthur- I just can't! English should be something really easy- I mean, it's just vocabulary and books right? - but it's not for me! All those stupid grammar rules and the stupid vocab-" he kicked the tile floor irately. "Nobody even uses those dumb words, so what's the point in knowing them? I don't even-"

"Wait, Alfred, slow down. I can't understand what you're saying when you speak that fast," Arthur placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder, pushing him down into one of the stools that surrounded the island. "Now, sit down and tell me _slowly_ what's wrong."

"Okay, okay, fine, but I wasn't talking that fast," he muttered. "Maybe you should get a hearing aid or something since you're an old man now-"

"Alfred," Arthur growled.

"Okay, alright, sorry. I-I'm-" he hesitated. Arthur leaned against the island's countertop, waiting patiently.

"I'm having trouble studying my vocabulary words, and I have a quiz tomorrow." Alfred finally mumbled, refusing to look at Arthur. "And I know you want me to do better in English, but it's really hard for me, you know? And I am trying, but I don't understand why it's important since it's obvious I'm never going to become a writer or journalist or anything like that. And I don't want to disappoint you, so…" he trailed off, his cheeks turning pink. Arthur felt affection for the boy build up inside of him.

"Let me get this strait lad, you can't remember any of your vocabulary words for English, and you don't want to disappoint me by getting another bad grade, so you decided to punish yourself by hitting your head against the wall?" Arthur clarified, a rare smile on his face.

"Yea, that sounds about right," Alfred said, completely red now; Arthur had made his actions sound more stupid than they actually were. Arthur actually laughed out loud at the confirmation, causing Alfred to jump.

"Alfred, that's so dumb! Why would you even think of doing that? Who do you think you are; Dobby the house elf from Harry Potter?" Arthur chuckled. Alfred abruptly got up from his chair, blushing furiously.

"God, Arthur, I actually tell you about my problems for once and the first thing you do is make fun of me for it!" Arthur only laughed harder at Alfred's aggravation. "You know what? Whatever, I'm gonna go to my room, maybe I can get some peace and quiet there-" he made a grab for his bag, but Arthur moved to the side, blocking him.

"I apologize," said Arthur in a slightly more serious tone, though he was still grinning. "But you have to admit, that was very funny." Alfred glared, and tried to push Arthur to the side so he could get his backpack.

"It's not funny! If I don't pass this quiz, the teacher's going to fail me!" At that, Arthur stopped sniggering.

"What? I always knew English wasn't your strongest subject, but you never told me you were failing!"

"Well, no, not yet, but the guy hates my guts! I swear he's looking for any reason to give me a bad grade." Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"No little brother of mine is ever going to receive a bad grade just because his teacher doesn't like him!" Arthur fumed. "Where are these words, Alfred? I will personally make sure you get an A plus on this exam whether your teacher likes it or not!" Relieved that Arthur had stopped treating him like a joke, Alfred reached around Arthur and unzipped his backpack, taking out a blue paperback workbook. He gave it to Arthur, and sat back down on the stool as Arthur read the title.

"EVT words, huh?" Arthur questioned and Alfred nodded. "Which lesson?"

"The third one," Alfred leaned over and flipped to the right page. Arthur quickly read the words, his green eyes flicking left and right.

"Pfft, these words aren't all that difficult Alfred; most of the definitions are short," he turned the page to the back. "And there are only ten."

"Oh yeah? You try memorizing them exactly as they are in the book! Plus you're all smart from reading Shakespeare; of course this stuff's easy for you!" Arthur flushed at the complement.

"W-well that means nothing! Besides, you can do anything once you set your mind to it, Alfred! I believe in you! Now, why is this so difficult for you? You're great at Math and Science; this should be a piece of cake!"

"I dunno, it's just-" Alfred took the book back, frowning as he re-read the definitions. "Math and Science have all of these little tricks and ways to remember stuff. With this, there's like nothing."

"I beg to differ! There are way more tricks to remember vocabulary words than there are for those other subjects!"

"Okay, Mr. Know It All, like what?" Alfred challenged, and Arthur scowled.

"Well, one way is to make up sentences to go along with the words, but they have to be interesting sentences though, or else you won't remember them. That way whenever you hear the word, you'll think of the sentence, and then the definition." Alfred's brow wrinkled as he considered what Arthur had said. "At least let us try it out. What's the first word?"

"Uh- Bacchanalian. It means wild and drunken."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a voice from their left.

"Arthur can be described as bacchanalian after he visits a bar," Francis announced with an amused smile, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. Alfred let out a short bark of laughter before covering it up as a violent cough. Arthur glowered at the Frenchman.

"What do you want, Francis?" he asked. "I thought you were reading the newspaper."

"I was, but Alfred said he needed help, correct? I am merely doing my part," Francis walked over to the pair, smirking. "Besides he will certainly have no trouble remembering the word now."

"I can help Alfred just fine without you," Arthur said, folding his arms.

"Two heads are better than one, _mon ami_," he replied pleasantly placing his elbows on the countertop. "And I'm sure Alfred doesn't mind, do you?" he asked. Alfred shook his head.

"Not at all,"

"Well, there you go," Francis said.

"Humph, fine. Just remember then, Alfred, that if you get a bad grade, it's all because _you_ decided to invite that Frog to help,"

"Jeesh, Arthur, relax, I won't fail just because of Francis," Alfred rolled his eyes.

"_Technically_, you could-"

"But then he could also _technically_ fail because you helped him, too," Francis interrupted, much to Arthur's irritation.

"Guys, guys, chill. C'mon, I thought you're supposed to help me, not argue."

"Yes, you're right, I apologize," said Arthur, though still glaring at Francis. "What's the next word then?"

"Irascible, easily angered." Alfred read out loud.

"Arthur is-" Francis began.

"No, I am not!" Arthur cried, slamming a hand down on the countertop. Who did the Frog think he was telling Arthur who he is in his own home? "Will you just shut the bloody hell up, and stop-"

"Arthur and Francis are very irascible around one another," said a soft voice, cutting Arthur off. All three turned and saw Matthew standing in the doorway between the hallway and the kitchen.

"Mattie!" Alfred yelped and ran over to his brother. "Thank god you're here, dude," he told Matthew as he pulled him into the kitchen. "They were gonna like pull each other apart at any second,"

"They have a tendency to do that," said Matthew grimly.

"Matthew, I thought you were writing your essay," Arthur said with a frown as the younger twin sat down next to Alfred.

"I was, but it's difficult to concentrate when three people are arguing loud enough for me to hear them, upstairs, in my room, with the door closed," he shot an accusing glare at Alfred.

"Sorry, dude," Alfred smiled sheepishly. Matthew sighed. Honestly, he wasn't mad at Alfred for interrupting his concentration; he didn't have any ideas for the essay anyway. Hopefully, he would be able to get some inspiration from his insane family.

"That's okay; I'll just have to write it later. In the mean time, I figured I might as well help you out too, since everyone's down here."

"Thanks, bro. Besides I like your sentence for that word anyways, so that's the one I'll remember."

"Are you sure?" Francis asked. "My sentence is very good as well-"

"Francis," Matthew warned as Arthur started to turn red with rage.

"Okay, next word!" Alfred yelped. "Avarice, it means greed, or desire for wealth." He frowned. "That's a hard one. I don't think any of us here has avarice, and I can't think of anyone else who-"

"What about my parents?" Arthur suggested. "They most defiantly have avarice. My parents created their own business because of their avarice, and now they are filthy rich workaholics who can't bother to make time for family," Alfred and Matthew winced at the harsh tone of bitterness in his voice.

"Arthur you make your parents sound way worse than they actually are," Matthew said.

"Yeah, they didn't seem that bad when we visited them," Alfred chimed in. Last year during summer break, Arthur had taken Alfred and Matthew to England for their 14th birthdays. The twins were thrilled; for years they had been begging to see the place where Arthur had grown up.

"That's only because they wanted to get on your good sides so that you might be able to take over the company one day," Arthur scoffed.

"Perhaps it is a little bit of both, _mon ami_," Francis said soothingly. "Let's move away from this topic- it is most _tragiques_, no? Alfred, next word please."

"Furtive. Stealthy and secretive."

"Alfred is furtive after coming home from school with a bad grade," Matthew said immediately. Alfred scowled.

"No, duh, Mattie, that's why we're here. And I thought you were supposed to be helping, not criticizing me!"

"Calm down, you two, we still have-" Arthur took the book from Alfred and counted the words. "Six more words left." There was a collective groan.

"Well, I did say you two didn't have to help," Arthur chided Francis and Matthew. "I could have helped Alfred on my own but you said-"

"Just read the next word before we all go mad," Francis interrupted, moving to sit on a stool. "I think I am starting to get a head ache from all of this arguing!"

"The next word is extradite, to turn over or deliver to the legal jurisdiction of another government or authority." Arthur said.

For once, there was silence in the kitchen.

"What the heck? How are we supposed to make up something for that?" Alfred threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Well, it's not that it's a difficult word," Matthew said, his brow puckered. "There's just nothing _interesting_ about it."

"_Oui_, I agree," They all thought quietly for a minute, listening to the rain hitting against the house.

"Okay, I think I got one. How about the army extradites terrorists back into their home countries so that their head-leader-king-person-guy can punish them?" Alfred proposed.

"Well, I'm not sure if that is completely accurate," Arthur wondered out loud. "Wait, what did you call the ruler?"

"It doesn't matter right now; I have an essay to do guys, we need to hurry this up!" Matthew impatiently checked the clock. "Next word!"

"Copious, numerous or large in quantity." Francis read, after sneaking the book from Arthur.

"When Matthew has breakfast, he eats a copious amount of pancakes!" Alfred pointed an accusing finger at his brother.

"So? Pancakes are delicious, especially with loads of maple syrup. And I thought you liked my pancakes!"

"Yeah, but you, like, drown them in that maple syrup stuff! How do you even taste the yumminess of the pancakes with all of the syrup you put on it?"

"I wouldn't be talking, hamburger-lover."

"Let's not start this again," Arthur rubbed his temple; the arguing was starting to get on his nerve as well. And here he thought that he was going to have a relaxing afternoon with his embroidery.

"But he-"

"Mercenary," Francis said loudly, overriding the boys' complaints. "A professional soldier hired by a foreign army."

"Didn't, didn't the, um-" Arthur snapped his fingers, trying to remember something. "Oh! The, the Romans! At the end of the Roman Era, the Empire hired mercenaries to fight in their army to fend off invaders!"

"Why didn't they fight the invaders off on their own?" Alfred asked, confused. "Why did they have to hire other people to be in their army?"

"No one from the Empire wanted to fight," Francis shrugged. "That was in part, I believe, a reason why the great Roman Empire collapsed."

"But, I don't get it. Why wouldn't-" Alfred started.

"Al, this isn't a History review class," Matthew groaned. "Just focus on English right now. Can you or can you not remember the sentence?"

"I guess I can…"

"Great, let's move along then so I can go back to writing my essay!"

"Huh, someone's a little impatient today," Alfred held out his hand to Francis. "Give me my book back; I'm the one who has to memorize all of this stuff, anyways. Okayyyyyyyyyy…next word is bastion; it's a strong defense or fort."

"A strong fort for what?" Arthur inquired.

"Uh, anything, I think," Alfred squinted at the small text. "It doesn't say, really."

"Nations build up bastions when they are preparing for war," Francis said lazily, cupping his chin in his hand. "Next."

"Jettison is to cast overboard or to discard."

"I wouldn't hesitate to jettison Francis off a boat," Arthur hinted with a creepy smile.

"_Mêmes_, _mon ami_,"

"Francis!" Matthew looked disapprovingly at him.

"What? He said it first!"

"Moving on," Alfred flipped the page, and a bright smile lit up his face. "Hey, guys! This is the last word!" They all sat up a little bit straighter.

"Really? Thank god, I need to get back to my sewing before dinner," Arthur sighed.

"What's the word, Al?" Matthew said.

"Ostracize. To banish; to shut out from a group or society by common consent."

"Arthur-" Francis started.

"Francis-" Arthur said at the same time.

"-should be ostracized!" They both yelled at each other in perfect unison. Alfred and Matthew started to laugh hysterically as Francis and Arthur glared at each other.

"Oh, my god, you two are so much more similar to each other than you think you are," Alfred said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"We most certainly are not!" Arthur scoffed. "We are as different as- as-"

"As cats and dogs," Francis offered.

"Yes! Exactly, as different as cats and dogs," Arthur finished with a nod of his head. The twins grinned at each other.

"Of course you are," said Alfred sarcastically. "You just both happen to be from Europe-"

"-are rich,- " Matthew continued.

"-only 5 years apart in age,- "

"-and very irascible." Matthew finished. At this point, Arthur and Francis were scowling at the brothers while the two cracked up beside them.

"Oh my god!" Alfred gasped from lack of air. "Mattie, dude, you are brilliant! Nice word use, bro!"

"I know right?" Matthew sniggered. "I should get an award, seriously."

They slapped high fives and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"You two are pathetic," Arthur said. "Alfred, that was the last word right? You don't need any more help, do you?"

"Haha, no, not anymore," Alfred smiled. "Thanks guys, now I won't have any trouble tomorrow."

"I should hope so! I have a headache from all of the noise," Francis complained. "I'm going to go take some medicine," He left the kitchen with an air of irritation, only causing Alfred and Matthew to snicker at his retreating back.

"I have to go finish my embroidery," Arthur looked at the Roman numeral clock that was hanging on the wall and sighed. Such little time left! "Alfred you better get an A plus tomorrow, or I swear no hamburgers for a month!"

"Uh- yes, sir!"

"Good. Matthew, go finish your essay."

"Okay, Arthur." The twins left the kitchen and entered the hallway.

"See, what did I tell ya?" Alfred told Matthew as they walked up the stairs. "I told you I would be able to get you a good essay topic! Now you can right all about the great time you had with your family!"

"It was pretty funny, seeing them go at each other," Matthew admitted.

"Dude, we didn't even do anything; they just kept fighting, it was hysterical! But, really can't fail the test tomorrow. I think Arthur was serious when he threatened my hamburgers!"

-o0o-

Vocabulary Word Definitions:

Bacchanalian- wild and drunken

Irascible- easily angered

Avarice- greed; desire for wealth

Furtive- stealthy; secretive

Extradite- to turn over or deliver to the legal jurisdiction of another government or authority

Copious- numerous; large in quantity

Mercenary- a professional soldier hired by a foreign army

Bastion- a strong defense or fort

Jettison- to cast overboard; to discard

Ostracize- to banish; to shut out from a group or society by common consent

-o0o-

French Translations according to Google:

_mon ami_- my friend

_tragiques_- tragic

_Oui_- yes

_Mêmes_- same/likewise

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**-Sorry if this was a boring/pointless chapter or if at any point it felt rushed, but once I had the idea in my mind I just had to write it. C'mon, don't tell me that I'm the only one who comes up with funny ways to remember vocabulary…**

**-I actually take stuff from the anime and put it into the chapters sometimes. For example, Arthur's business suit in the last chapter was in the G8 meeting episodes, and in the beginning of this chapter (when Arthur was sewing and Francis was reading) is from the episode where Russia jumps out of a plane without a parachute. Get it?**

**-I love Harry Potter. Immediately after writing the head bashing scene with Alfred, all I could think about was Dobby and how he punishes himself for doing things he shouldn't.**

**-For clarification, Matthew had an essay assignment in which he had to write about one of the most entertaining moments of his life (lame essay topic, I know, but it fit the story). He was having a hard time coming up with something, so Alfred claimed that he would be able to help. And Alfred really did need help with his vocabulary- that was not a joke. So they came up with a plan to force Francis and Arthur to work together to help Alfred with his vocabulary and…yea. That's it, really.**

**-I apologize if any part of the story is unrealistic.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	5. Phone Call

**11/26/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**Speak German? NO! I know, like, maybe two words in German, that's about it. I do like listening to German songs though, they're so awesome sounding!**

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters (Gilbert/Prussia/East Germany, Ludwig/Germany/West Germany, Gebhard/Germania, Julius Vargas/Roman Empire, Feliciano Vargas/North Italy, Lovino Vargas/Romano/South Italy, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo/Spain, etc). I do not own Jeanne D'Arc either. Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Phone conversation between Francis and Gilbert, this is what gets Francis curious about coming to America to adopt a child. Alfred and Mathew are 7, Francis is 24, this is the first time Francis ever hears about the twins, Jeanne is still alive.**

-o0o-

_Ring!_

…

_Ring!_

…

_Ri-_

Gilbert (annoyed): "_Hallo_?"

Francis (amused): "_Bonjour, mon cher ami_."

Gilbert (confused): "…" (silence)

Gilbert (surprised, shouting): "Francis! Is that really you? I haven't heard from you since forever! I've missed you!"

Francis (chuckles): "Same here, my friend. It hasn't been the same here in Europe without you and Antonio."

Gilbert: "Hell, yea, it isn't! Nothing's the same without the awesome Bad Touch Trio!"

Francis: "_Oui_, I agree. Even Jeanne misses you-" (muffled shouting noises in the background) "-to an extent."

Gilbert (laughs): "I'm sure she does. Tell her the awesome me gives her a kiss!"

Francis (amused): "She will be thrilled, I'm sure."

Gilbert: "Speaking of which, have you guys…you know…"

Francis (sighs): "Gotten Jeanne pregnant yet? No, I wish. You would have thought it would've been easy, with all of my experience-" (loud thumping noise) "-I was kidding, my dear, kidding! It was a joke, I swear!" (laughter and more thumping noises)

Gilbert: "What's going on over there?"

Francis: "She is hitting me with a pillow."

Gilbert: "Ah, always the charmer."

Francis (chuckles): "Yes, always."

Gilbert: "You know, maybe you guys should think about adopting. The doctor did say-"

Francis (impatiently): "Yes, yes, I know what the doctor said; I have visited him a thousand times. And yes, I assure you, adoption is an option we are considering."

Gilbert: "'Cause you know, if you want to adopt a kid, there's a great orphanage over here in America."

Francis: "Oh? And what do you know about orphanages? You have no use of them; you already have a child to take care of."

Gilbert: "Hey, Ludwig is not my kid! He's my little brother; those two things are completely different! I wouldn't be stupid enough to get some random chick pregnant when I have to take care of my kid brother and watch over my sick _Großvater_!"

Francis (joking): "So you wouldn't sleep with her even if she is beautiful?"

Gilbert (yelling): "Even if she is hot! Wouldn't do it; I don't need more work to complicate my life. I mean, just look at Antonio! He used to not worry about anything, and now he's working all days of the week because he has this little annoying brat to care for-"

Francis: "_Excusez-moi?_ Antonio had a child with someone? How is it that I am the only one childless out of the three of us?"

Gilbert: "Oh, no, it's not his. Technically. You remember Julius Vargas?"

Francis: "Your grandfather's best friend? _Oui_, of course I do. He is a hard man to forget."

Gilbert (sad): "Well, the guy died a few months ago. The cancer finally got to him."

Francis (sympathetic): "Oh, Gilbert, I am so sorry. I know you and your grandfather were close with him."

Gilbert (sighs): "Yeah, he was a good guy. But it turns out that Julius had custody of two of his grandchildren when he died."

Francis: "How was Julius able to take care of two children while he was sick with cancer?"

Gilbert: "Beats the heck out of me. Julius never acted weak or frail though; if you had randomly met him on the street you would have never guessed that he was seriously ill. He probably could've taken care of his two grandchildren without any problems. And the man loved kids; he would've jumped at the opportunity to fawn over a pair of twins in his last few months."

Francis: "Twins?"

Gilbert: "Yeah, twins. Can you believe it? I can't imagine what Julius was thinking, especially giving one of them to Antonio of all people. This Austrian guy got the other twin. Unfortunately, Toni got the worse kid of the two. I swear I've never heard a little kid mouth off so much in my entire life!"

Francis (laughs): "That must be entertaining. How is Antonio dealing with it?"

Gilbert: "Oh, he adores the kid! Treats little 'Lovi' like he's the sun, the moon, and the stars all rolled up into one! Toni was even showing the kid some of his secret tomato recipes the last time I saw them!"

Francis (surprised): "Really? He likes the boy that much? How old are the twins?"

Gilbert: "Uh, 8-ish, I think, maybe a little younger. At least Ludwig's age though, because they go to the same school and are in the same grade."

Francis: "Ah, so they are young, but not too young."

Gilbert: "Exactly. Oh, Francis, the funniest thing happed the other day! You would've loved it!"

Francis: "Do tell, _mon cher_. What did you do?"

Gilbert: "Okay, okay, so you know how I was talking about orphanages before?"

Francis: "Yes, what about it?"

Gilbert: "Well there's this orphanage near the area where Ludwig goes to school, and he happens to be friends with one of the kids who lives there. And this kid, I swear, is the most hyper, crazy, acts-like-he's-on-sugar-all-the-time type of kid you will ever meet! He's like a fricken' ball of energy that runs non-stop!"

Francis (chuckles): "He sounds lively."

Gilbert: "You have no clue. So I was waiting outside the school for Ludwig the other day, and when he comes out, he's walking with the hyper kid and his twin brother-"

Francis: "Another pair of twins? Or are they Julius' grandchildren?"

Gilbert: "No, Julius' grandsons are Lovino and Feliciano Vargas; right now I'm talking about the orphaned twins, Alfred and Matthew Jones."

Francis: "The Joneses are both orphaned?"

Gilbert: "_Ja_, sad thing right? I have no idea what happened to their parents other than their mother died in childbirth. But the hyper kid I'm talking about is Alfred; don't get Matthew and him mixed up because they are _nothing_ alike. I practically forget Alfred has a younger brother half the time."

Francis: "Don't worry, I won't confuse the two. Please continue with your story."

Gilbert: "Alright, so, as I was saying, I'm waiting outside for Ludwig- he's always the last one out of the school for some reason- and he finally walks out with Alfred and Matthew. Ludwig introduced me to Alfred, and the kid nearly tore my arm off when we shook hands. Strong kid, I wouldn't want to mess with him when he gets older. So, I'm just talking to Ludwig, asking the normal, boring questions like, 'Oh, how was your day?' and 'Did you learn anything new?' when the Alfred kid asks me what was in my cup."

Francis (sighs): "Gilbert, please don't tell me it was beer."

Gilbert: "What? No, of course not, why would you think that?"

Francis: "I have known you most of my life, _mon ami_. You would not hesitate to introduce anyone to beer, even if it's to someone as young as this Alfred child."

Gilbert: "I'm offended! Well, no need to worry 'cause I wasn't drinking beer, it was coffee."

Francis (skeptical): "…"

Gilbert (defensive): "_Meine gott_, it was coffee! I wouldn't give a 7 year old beer!"

Francis: (muffled shouting in the background) "Jeanne says she disagrees."

Gilbert: "What, how can she hear what we're saying? Do you have me on speaker or something?"

Francis (chuckles): "You just talk very, very loud, my friend."

Gilbert: "Well, whatever, I didn't give the kid beer, no matter what your wife thinks! So, _as I was saying_, the kid asked me what was in my cup, and I said 'Coffee' and Alfred's like, 'What's that?' and I said, 'You've never had coffee before?' kid said, 'No, does it taste good?' and I was like, 'Of course it tastes good! Why would the awesome me be drinking it if it didn't taste good?' So he goes, 'Can I try it then?' and I said, 'You know what? I'll do even better than that; I'll buy you a cup so you can enjoy the whole drink to yourself!' Alfred says, 'Awesome!' and by now I'm convinced that I'm going to force this kid to become a second awesome me."

Francis (laughs): "The boy is going to be your successor and carry on the Awesome Legacy? What happened to Ludwig?"

Gilbert: "Ludwig is way too serious to even consider trying to become as Awesome as me! I don't know where he got it from the stern attitude from, but he hardly ever jokes around or smiles. I think _Großvater_ had a strong influence on him."

Francis: "That would make sense."

Gilbert: "Yea, so, I got the Alfred kid coffee, and it worked like magic. He was bouncing off the walls for the next day and a half! It got so bad that this Ukrainian chick told him he couldn't ever have coffee again until he was older!"

Francis (surprised): "It was that bad?"

Gilbert: "Hell yea! Even without the coffee the kid's like a sparkler on the fourth of July; with the coffee he's a fricken firework!"

Francis: "Did Antonio ever meet the boy?"

Gilbert: "Did Antonio ever meet Alfred? Nah, I told you already, Toni's too busy running the shop to come visit Ludwig's school with me."

Francis: "Do you two still hang out?"

Gilbert: "_Ja_, of course, just not as much as we used to. Plus, it can't really be the Bad Touch Trio without you."

Francis: "That is true."

Gilbert: "Francis, why don't you just move to America? You could see me and Toni all the time instead of just these random phone calls, and maybe you could even adopt the Jones twins from the orphanage!"

Francis: "America is full of unfortunate souls who have never had a decent meal in their life, and as much as I would love to come over there and show them what real food is like, my business is here in Europe. And Jeanne and I are only looking for one child, remember? Two hyper boys, especially twins, would be too much for us to handle right now."

Gilbert: "Only Alfred is hyper, Matthew is pretty much invisible. I still don't get why you wouldn't want the two of them. Life is quick, Francis, I learned that from Julius. Why not share your luck and wealth with a pair of orphaned brothers?"

Francis: "Maybe one day I will, _mon ami_, but not today, and not right now." (muffled talking in the background) "And that is my cue. I must leave you now, Gilbert; it is time for me to go."

Gilbert: "What? Right now? C'mon we didn't even talk that long! Does your wife make you have a curfew or something?"

Francis (chuckles): "Something like that. Besides, I still have to call Antonio."

Gilbert: "Oh, yeah…"

Francis: "_Au revoir_, _mon ami_, it was good talking to you again. Your story was very entertaining."

Gilbert: "Of course it was! It was told by the awesome me!"

Francis (laughs): "I will talk to you again soon, and in the meantime, I will consider what you have said."

Gilbert: "All right, talk to ya later, Francis. Make sure to tell Jeanne I said _hallo_."

Francis: "Will do. Goodbye, Gilbert."

Gilbert: "Bye, Francis."

Hangs up the phone.

-o0o-

French Translations according to Google:

_Bonjour_- hello

_mon cher ami_- my dear friend

_Oui_- yes

_Excusez-moi_- pardon me

_mon cher_- my dear

_Au revoir_- goodbye

German Translations according to Google:

_Hallo_- hello

_Großvater_- grandfather

_Ja_- yes

_Meine gott_- my god

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**-Oh, my god, I can't believe how many people are reading this! I'm sooooo happy you guys like it so far, thank you so much!**

**- I made up names for Rome and Germania since they don't have official names. I decided the name Julius for Rome because of Julius Caesar; Gebhard for Germania because it's an Ancient German name that supposingly comes from the German words for "gift" and "brave". I'm not sure what Gebhard, Ludwig and Gilbert's last name should be though because I can't figure out if it should be Beilschmidt or Weillschmidt :/**

**-Yes, I made Alfred and Ludwig friends. I know they're not really close in the anime, but according to their past history as nations, I think that the two countries would/should be pretty close as characters. **

**-It was Gilbert who introduced coffee to Alfred, which was mentioned in Chapter 3. I can just imagine Alfred going crazy after just one cup of the stuff XD**

**-guhhhhh I don't know how any of these characters act like! Literally, the only person I read about in detail is America, so sorry if none of the characters behave like themselves!**

**-I apologize if any part of the story is unrealistic.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	6. New World

**11/26/2011 and 11/27/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**What inspired this chapter? The songs **_**Long, Long Time Ago**_** by Javier Navarrete and **_**God In This Moment**_** by Gavin Mikhail. **

**Is this a song fanfic? NO! I don't really like song fanfics because I don't feel like the characters are really singing in them. This chapter was just written while listening to those two songs, and I believe it sets a good mood for the story. There is no singing involved at all in this chapter.**

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters. Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Arthur's thoughts on his past life and how his world changed after he met Alfred. Alfred and Mathew are 9, Arthur is 21. Warning; tons of fluff!**

-o0o-

A long, long time ago, when Arthur was very young, he had believed in fairytales. Yes he, Arthur Kirkland, the most realistic and practical person you would ever meet, had believed in fairies, unicorns, and elves. As a four year old with a vivid imagination, Arthur managed to convince himself that he could actually see the creatures in the stories, and that they could talk to him, only him, and that they would never abandon him. Arthur had believed in all of it, had not doubted his made-up world for one second. Even when his brothers teased him for it, or when someone in his elementary school had destroyed his favorite fantasy book, Arthur had clung onto the idea that there was magic somewhere in this universe. This was because the stories, the imaginary galaxies, the creatures, were an escape. An escape from the real world where he had a family only in name and blood, an escape from a place where he had no friends, an escape from a life where there were no happy endings.

Arthur had stopped believing in fairytales when he was 13. He started to skip school, refused to listen to his parents, and abandoned any level of responsibility he ever had. His rebellious age lasted for almost 4 years and a half, a dark time in Arthur's life because he had finally accepted the truth that there were no such things as fairies, or unicorns, or elves. There was no magic, and anyone who thought otherwise was a fool. This realization shook Arthur to his very core; it took everything he had ever placed in value and destroyed it, crushed it until there was nothing left but dust. Anything that made Arthur who he was up to this point in his life didn't exist, wasn't real. Arthur was having an identity crisis, and it tossed him into a downward spiral from which there was no easy escape.

Around 17 and a half, Arthur began to pull himself back together. He understood that everyone had dark moments, but that did not mean you could not get up after being pushed down. It did not mean that it was impossible to stand back up. So, that's what he did. Arthur stood up and moved on with his life. He apologized to his parents, went to college, learned a great deal about the business world and how to manage a corporation, and took over most of his families company by the age of 20, much to his brothers' annoyance. And he never thought of fairies or happy endings ever again.

That is, until he met Alfred Jones.

Alfred, the small orphan with large, endless blue eyes and blonde hair that shone like gold in the sunlight; Alfred, an innocent child lost in a strange place, separated from the only family he had left; Alfred, who loved roses and hamburgers and coffee, but hated books and school and marmite.

Alfred, a boy that had not experienced the hardships of life, and was one of the few types of people who still believed in heroes and happy endings.

Ever since reuniting Alfred and Matthew, Arthur felt like he truly understood what family meant. He saw it every day when Alfred talked non-stop about his smart, kind, awesome brother, or how Matthew gently guided his twin away from reckless ideas that could end up hurting him. And Arthur felt it whenever he the two boys ran to greet him when he visited the orphanage. As time passed, he finally knew what it was like to care for someone more than himself, and to receive that kind of powerful love back.

He fought with his parents when he told them that he was planning to move to America; they didn't understand what had so suddenly grabbed his attention to such a degree that he would stay in that obnoxious country for such a long period of time. Arthur didn't feel the need to explain to them that he had found something that had been missing from his life all of these years. For as long as he could remember, Arthur had been searching for a place where he could call home; and he found it in Alfred and Matthew's eyes. Upon meeting the twins, Arthur had found warmth, happiness and acceptance. It was worth moving to America and leaving England behind because, in all honesty, what was the point in staying on that rainy island? There was nothing left for him in England, but in America, he had something to look forward to; something to work hard for; and something that was worth believing in.

The best part was that Alfred and Matthew were just as thrilled to officially become part of Arthur's family as Arthur was himself. Once he found an acceptable house near the school the boy's school, he took the twins away from the orphanage permanently and helped them move into their new home. Every day after that was an adventure for Arthur; ten times more wonderful and exciting than any of the worlds that existed in his old fantasy books. That was because this new world he was living in had Alfred and Matthew; two boys who saw everything with fresh new eyes because they were both so young. In the year that followed, they were a constant source of wonder and joy in Arthur's life, and he found himself wondering how he had ever been happy without them.

Of course, they had their ups and their downs, just like all families do. Arthur laughed to himself when he remembered the first time he had given Alfred marmite; the older twin had refused to talk to Arthur for at least a week because he thought that the marmite had been a punishment for a crime he had not committed. In reality, it was just Arthur trying to get Alfred to be healthier. Then there was that other time, Arthur thought with a small smile, when Francis had first visited the twins at their new home, and Arthur had hit the French man over the head with a vase, thinking that he was a thief, or worse, a kidnapper.

Arthur sighed to himself, wondering what his second year with Alfred and Matthew would be like. At the moment, he was sitting on the edge of his bed with all of the lights turned off, staring down at the twins as they slept quietly side by side. Alfred was the one lying closest to Arthur; his face was pressed against the limp pillow, revealing only half of his abnormally calm expression. Smiling at Alfred's rare peacefulness, Arthur reached over and ran his hand lightly through the child's soft blonde hair. Unconsciously, Alfred's face scrunched up for a moment, but then immediately relaxed into Arthur's touch. He sighed softly, and Arthur suddenly experienced an intense feeling of love and protectiveness for the boy.

Slowly leaning down, Arthur carefully brushed away Alfred's bangs and gently kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, love," He whispered into the night.

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**-I decided to update this early because you guys are just so amazingly terrific. You guys have no idea how happy you make me. Seriously. I always want to do cartwheels or something awesome like that after I see how many people has read it so far. If I could make a shrine for each and every one of you, I totally would.**

**-Sorry for all of the run-on sentences. There was no dialogue for a reason; I just wanted this chapter to focus entirely on why and how much Arthur loves Alfred and Matthew.**

**-oh my god, so much fluff! I don't know how this whole chapter turned out to be so family oriented and peppy happy, but it did. I don't think that I'm going to write a lot of chapters like this, but it depends on what type of writing I feel like doing. **

**-I apologize if any part of the story is unrealistic.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	7. Stalemate

**11/29/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**Is this RusxUs? NO! There's no boyxboy stuff in this story. Like, at all. **

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters (Russia/Ivan Braginski, Belarus/Natalia Braginski, etc.). Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Alfred gets detention with his rival, Ivan Braginski. Alfred and Ivan are 16.**

-o0o-

"This is all your fault, ya know." Alfred told Ivan as he reached down and drenched his sponge in a water-filled bucket.

"Oh? How so, comrade?" Ivan stared puzzlingly at the American from the other side of the class room.

"Well, if you hadn't started the fight, we wouldn't be stuck here after school, cleaning all of the chalkboards in the entire building for detention!" Alfred scrubbed the chalk crusted board vigorously. "And don't call me comrade! I'm not your friend!"

"I will call you what I wish, Альфред. This is America, да? It is a free country. And I disagree; I was not the one who landed us in detention." Ivan said, slowly washing the chalk away with his own wet cloth.

"Oh, yeah? And why do you think that?" Alfred asked, wincing as he moved his bruised arm.

"Well, you were the one who grabbed my scarf. I even asked you to nicely remove your hands, but you refused, thus resulting in our fight." Alfred snorted.

"You took my hamburger before I grabbed your stupid scarf. And I _also_ asked nicely for it back and _you_ said no."

"I was hungry, comrade. I wanted food, even if it had to be one of those disgusting hamburgers of yours."

"Dude, if you're too lazy to buy yourself lunch, go steal someone else's food, not mine! I'm sure that creepy stalker sister of yours would've been glad to give you some of her lunch."

"The school's lunch is extremely unpleasant, I think that is one thing we can agree on, and honestly, I try to avoid Natalia as much as I can." Ivan said, his smile slipping for a second.

"Pfft, why would you do that? I mean, she's your sister, isn't she? It's not like she's gonna hurt you."

"Let me ask you something, Alfred. How would you feel if Matthew followed you everywhere you went, despite your best efforts to evade him, and decided one day that you and him are to be married in the future?" Alfred's face screwed up uncomfortably at the thought.

"That's completely different. Mattie's a dude. And my brother."

"And Natalia is my sister. Trust me, being the center of her attention is not enjoyable. Especially since she is skilled with knives."

"Knives?" Alfred stopped cleaning the board, paling.

"Yes."

"Who in their right mind would teach a high school student how to use knives?"

"I am not sure," Ivan admitted. "Katyusha and I believe that she might have taught herself."

"Dude that's insane," Alfred shook his head. "I don't blame you for being scared of her."

"I never said I was afraid of her," Ivan said, frowning. "She means well."

"Yeah, of course she means well." Alfred said sarcastically. "She just follows you around like obsessed paparazzi, happens to know how to use everyday kitchen utensils as weapons, and you shake in fear whenever she's around." Alfred finished, rolling his eyes. "Of course you're not afraid of her, why would you be?"

"And what are you scared of, Alfred?" Ivan asked softly, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Nothing, obviously! I'm a hero, and heroes aren't scared of anything!" Alfred boasted, grinning at the Russian. Ivan narrowed his eyes.

"Oh? Are you sure? I'm sure you can think of something," Ivan said, somehow managing to make the casual sentence sound menacing. "Unless, you actually are afraid of nothing, which would make you a fool."

"'There is nothing to fear but fear itself,'" Alfred quoted, lifting his head up a bit higher. "FDR said that."

"So there is something in that scatterbrained head of yours. I'm impressed."

"Of course there is, stupid! I'm going to school, aren't I?" Alfred scowled. "And I know tons of stuff! Just because I don't act all smart and intelligent doesn't mean I'm dumb!"

"I never said that you were dumb," Ivan dipped his cloth into a red bucket placed on the teacher's desk. "There would be no point in fighting with you if that were true." Alfred frowned.

"Uh, thanks, I guess? I'm not sure whether to take that as a complement or an insult." Alfred's brow furrowed with confusion.

"It's a compliment. You are one of the few people I consider to be somewhat equal to myself," Ivan smiled sweetly and Alfred's confusion turned into annoyance.

"'Somewhat equal?'" Alfred repeated with a glare. "What, I'm not good enough to be at your level or something?"

"No," Ivan said thoughtfully. "You are just too rash. Here," he threw a roll of paper towels at Alfred who caught it easily. "The board is clean, we must dry it now."

"What do you mean, I'm too rash?" Alfred placed the towels on the teacher's desk, and leaned forward with one hand on the chair, challenging the other with his eyes.

"You are… how do I put it? You rush into things; don't think about the consequences before going ahead. You never ask other's opinions because you think that you are always right, regardless of what everyone else thinks. You are too impatient, headstrong, immature, and annoying, and therefore, too rash." Ivan explained. Alfred flushed with anger.

"What about you then? If I'm rash, then you are _fake_."

"Fake?" I van raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, fake. Like a doll." Alfred said, turning back to the blackboard. He didn't see a flash of rage cross Ivan's face. Ivan strode towards the American, and grabbed the back of Alfred's jacket.

"Explain, _comrade_." Ivan growled. Alfred whirled around and slapped Ivan's hand away.

"Don't touch me," Alfred snapped.

"Then don't turn your back on me," came the reply. "And do not insult me."

"I can say what I want! This is America, remember? Land of the free and home of the brave; I can say anything I want because it is in my right. Now, do you want me to explain, or not?" I van remained silent, glaring at the American through a swollen eye that he had gained in their fight earlier that day.

"You are fake," Alfred hissed, staring up into Ivan's strange purple tinted eyes. "Because nothing about you is _real_. Everything about you, from your creepy smile to your happy expression, is a lie. I see right through your stupid mask. I can tell that you're lonely because no one wants to be around you, or hang out with you of their own free will. You wanna know why that is, Ivan? It's because you are a dictator! You force people to be with you, but that isn't _real_ friendship, buddy. It's _fake_. If you want friends, you gotta start by being real, by meaning what you say. You have to be ready to make sacrifices, and yeah, it might hurt sometimes. But that's part of life. Without the pain, we would never understand things like friendship and love. So if you really care about getting others to like you, you have to mean what you say, and what you do, because people have a way of telling when they're being lied to."

By this time, the tension in the room was palpable; both teenagers where in each other's faces, breathing hard as if they had just run a marathon. A moment later, Alfred sucked in a deep shuddering breath stepped away from the Russian, breaking the spell. Horror dawned on Alfred's face as he realized what he had just said, and he abruptly turned on his heel and left the room. Ivan just stood there in shock, unable to force himself to move to go after the American. Had Alfred really just said all that? No one had ever been brave enough to tell Ivan the truth to his face before, so he was struck speechless at how he should respond to what had just happened. There was a loud bang, and Ivan jumped slightly at the loud noise. Cautiously walking foreword, Ivan entered the hallway to see Alfred kicking a locker with a frustrated look on his face.

"What do you want?" Alfred asked bitterly, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and purposefully staring at the opposite end of the hallway.

"I am sorry," Ivan said quietly. Alfred's head whipped around to stare at him in surprise. "I should not have called you all of those things, though they are true most of the time."

"Yeah, well," Alfred mumbled. "I wanna say sorry too. I was kinda harsh back there; it was a real un-hero like act, calling you out like that." He scratched the back of his head and offered Ivan a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean it to come out so mean sounding."

"Why do you care how it came out?" Ivan asked, bothered by Alfred's last sentence. "We hate each other, don't we?"

"I dunno, are we? I wouldn't say I hate you- strongly dislike you, yes- but hate you?" Alfred shook his head. "Hate's a strong word, Ivan. I wouldn't use it to describe our relationship, no matter what you think."

"You don't hate me?" Ivan repeated numbly. How could that be true? The two of them had been fighting with each other ever since Alfred had called him a Commie back when he was still at the orphanage. They had been 4 at the time.

"No! I don't! Jeesh, do I need to explain it to you? Hate is like something you use for someone who killed your parents, or something extreme like that. And although we fight a ton, we never actually mean to seriously hurt each other, or at least, I don't mean to hurt you that way. You're more like my teacher to me than my enemy. "

"извините?" Ivan was getting more and more confused with every word the other boy spoke. "How am I in any way your teacher?" Alfred sighed in annoyance at having to clarify the meaning behind his words to the Russian.

"Well, you like, kinda inspire me to be better than you." Alfred admitted, going slightly red. "Every single time we have a fight, I get excited to see if I've gotten better than last time, or if you have finally gotten to be stronger than me. I'm always curious to which one of us is gonna break the stalemate, but in a way, I don't want that to happen either."

"Why? A stalemate is bad, Да? It means that neither of us has improved at all."

"You're wrong!" Alfred shouted loudly, startling Ivan. "If the stalemate was broken, what would be the point of fighting anymore? I would have no one to test myself against, and neither would you! A stalemate doesn't mean we haven't gotten any better, it just means we are equal." Ivan stared at Alfred, amazed at the younger boy's insightful explanation.

"What, are you going to make fun of me now?" Alfred folded his arms, scowling.

"No, you are actually right, for once."

Alfred snorted, which then became full out laughter while Ivan started at him, alarmed.

"I can't believe you just said that." Alfred gasped once he caught his breath. "I never thought I would live to see the day that you would tell me that _I_ was the right one."

"I never thought that I would live to see the day that you would actually apologize to me," Ivan admitted. "But, yes, you are right, and not just about the stalemate. I don't have many friends; r_eal_ friends at least. And, although I hate to say it, I want to try what you said to make sure I do get those real friends."

"That's awesome, dude! Glad to hear it!" Alfred laughed obnoxiously and Ivan's eye twitched. There, that was the Alfred he knew; loud and irritating no matter what happened. "So, how 'bout this: you can start by being my friend, here, in detention."

"Our status jumps from enemies to friends in one day?" Ivan said skeptically.

"Okay, your right, maybe that's too much of a leap. How about from enemies to friendly rivals, then? That way we won't end up ripping each other's heads every other day and giving our siblings heart attacks every time they hear we got into another fight." At that Ivan smiled, and this time, it was a genuine smile.

"I would like that, comrade." Alfred made a face at the nickname, but didn't say anything.

"C'mon, we still have that blackboard to finish up." He walked past Ivan and back into the classroom. Ivan followed, feeling lighter than he had in a long time.

-o0o-

Russian Translations according to Google:

Альфред- Alfred

Да- yes

Извините- Excuse me

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**-I have a DeviantArt account now! Only my writing will be updated on there, but you guys can go check it out if you like! The link is on my profile page, if anyone cares ^^**

**-I'm not so sure how I feel about this chapter, but Russia is one of my favorite characters after America and England so I just had to write **_**something**_** about him. I wanna write more of him in the future too; Alfred and Ivan are so funny around each other!**

**-I'm trying to not make Alfred one of those perfect characters who are amazing and wonderful and everyone loves them, and blah, blah, blah. I don't want any of the characters to be like that. I want them all to have skills and have good qualities, but I want them all to have flaws and weird traits about them too. I hope that is shown throughout the story.**

**-I apologize if any part of the story is unrealistic.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	8. Lists of 10

**12/4/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters. Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- FACE family Christmas/Wish lists. Back in time again; Alfred and Matthew are 8, Arthur is 20, and Francis is 25. Alfred and Matthew have already met Arthur by this point, Francis has not met Arthur yet.**

-o0o-

Alfred: I want…

1. Red roses. Lots of 'em.

2. An Eagle. I saw one at the zoo the other day, and it was the coolest thing ever! Kat says I can't have pets in the orphanage, but an eagle would be okay 'cause it would be outside most of the time! I promise I'll take good care of it!

3. To find someone who will take me into their family, but won't separate Mattie and me.

4. To be an astronaut when I grow up. Or maybe a lawyer. Or a cowboy. Or a firefighter. Or the President of the United States of America. Oh, no, I know! I want to be a hero! Maybe not everyone's hero, 'cause that's a lot of work, but a hero for someone.

5. To discover an alien! And his name will be Tony, or maybe Chewbacca, like in Star Wars!

6. A proper Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the toys and the food and everything! Everyone in the orphanage has to share, so there's nothing that I can call my own.

7. Comic books and costumes for Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Wolverine, and whatever else superheroes there are!

8. To find out more about Mom and Dad.

9. McDonalds. All of the time.

10. Arthur to keep visiting me; I really like him! And I think he likes me too!

-o0o-

Matthew: I want…

1. A polar bear stuffed animal.

2. Francis to be happy again, even though Mrs. Bonnefoy just died.

3. To learn how to speak French; Francis sounds so cool when he talks in his native language!

4. Alfred and I to stay together. He's the only family I have left, no matter how annoying and embarrassing he is.

5. To get onto the hockey team when I go into the Middle and High Schools.

6. Alfred to learn how to eat properly; he's so gross when he shovels food down his throat! I mean, who eats like that?

7. Alfred to not get too attached to Arthur. I don't want him to be disappointed like I was.

8. To leave the orphanage. I don't like it here.

9. To have pancakes and maple syrup every day.

10. To move to Canada. They speak French and have tons of maple syrup there.

-o0o-

Arthur: I want…

1. The complete works of William Shakespeare in one book.

2. To find someone who likes my cooking. Or someone who at least tolerates it.

3. One of my brothers- or every single one of them, preferably- to run into a wall. Or get a massive hangover. Or become suddenly broke. Or hurt/damaged in any way.

4. To learn how to smile again, and laugh. A lot.

5. People to stop staring at my eyebrows because yes, they are real, and no, I do not purposefully grow them that long.

6. To write a book, possibly.

7. To retire early; my family is driving me insane. I cannot wait until I have enough money to travel the world and stay as far away from them as possible.

8. Alfred to be part of my life. Permanently. I don't care how or why that happens, but I that's what I want.

9. The sun to shine every day. It always rained in London, and although I was used to it, I've come to hate rain in my time spent here in America.

10. A camera and video recorder to take pictures and videos of Alfred, Matthew, and my experiences in America in general.

-o0o-

Francis: I want…

1. Jeanne to be happy, where ever she is.

2. To stay in Matthew's life, even though he will probably never forgive me for breaking my promise to adopt him.

3. To get the twins presents for Christmas.

4. To have a night out with Antonio and Gilbert; it has been too long since we last had fun together.

5. To improve on my cooking and my designs for the company since I have not practiced because of Jeanne's death.

6. To be inspired so I can improve on my cooking and designs.

7. A vacation. A very, very, long vacation back to Paris; I cannot believe Americans tolerate the bland, disgusting, overly sweet food of theirs. Maybe I could take Alfred and Matthew along with me…?

8. A new brand of conditioner and shampoo because the types I am using right now does not give my hair the beautiful shine that it normally has.

9. To read a Tale Of Two Cities to Matthew; it is a wonderful book, and I have a feeling he would enjoy it. Alfred, on the other hand, would probably hate it, poor child.

10. A new apartment. If I am ever going to move on, I have to learn how to start over on my own.

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**-This chapter is super short, but I think it's really cute. Plus I wanted to get another chapter out as soon as possible because I need to say that I won't be able to update as much or as quickly as you guys are used too; I'm so busy right now! So please don't expect new chapters to be added on every 3 days or so like it has been so far.**

**-Yeah, Arthur does not like any of his brothers. They made fun of him a lot when he was younger, and they still do now even though he's older, so he has every right to hate them.**

**-Personally, I do not like ****A Tale Of Two Cities****, so the fact that Francis likes it has nothing to do with me.**

**-I apologize if any part of the story is unrealistic.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	9. Wii games

**12/10/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…**

**Want readers to review regardless if they liked the story or not? YES!**

**Own Hetalia? NO! I do not own Hetalia or any of its wonderful characters. Only the plot and idea for this story alone is mine. That's all.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Alfred's experiences with Wii games. If you don't have a Wii and have no idea what the heck I am writing about, I apologize. Alfred and Matthew are 15 (in 10****th**** grade), Arthur is 27, and Francis is 32. This takes place in the winter, after chapter 1 and chapter 4.**

-o0o-

Mario Kart; Racing

"Dude. You did not just go there."

"Did not just go where?"

"Mattie, you just pushed me into the ice cold water! Now I'm like, in what, 6th place? I was in first before!"

"All is fair in love and war, brother."

"…I hate you."

Wii Sports Resort; Swordplay

"What the hell, Arthur? How did you get so good at swordplay? You're like beating me every time!"

"I used to be part of the fencing team at my school when I was your age. It was practically the only reason I showed up to school at all, really."

"…so does that mean I don't have to go to school tomorrow? I mean, you used to skip it all the time when you were my age and all-"

"No, Alfred. Now, pay attention. I do believe I have just fatally injured you."

Wii Family Games; Life

"Oh my god…I'm so hungry…"

"How long have we been playing this bloody game?"

"I believe about _trois heures_, _mon ami_."

"Speak English, Frog! I can never understand a word coming out of your stupid mouth!"

"He said three hours, Arthur."

"Three hours! Wait, Matthew, when did you learn to speak French?"

"Francis has been teaching me for years now, Arthur. We've talked about this before-"

"I'm so hungry…I think I'm going to die…"

"Shut up, Alfred! You ate a huge hamburger two and a half hours ago!"

"So? I'm starving! You know what? That's it, I give up-"

"_Non_! You cannot give up on Life, no matter how long it takes to win! You must be strong, Alfred!"

"No way, Francis, I can't take this anymore! My stomach is actually hurting from not eating for stomach long."

"Alfred, as your brother, I can tell when you're lying."

"No, Matthew, I actually agree with Alfred, for once. How about we just pause the game for now, and I can go whip up a few tasty scones of mine and maybe brew some tea to go with it-"

"Never mind, I'm not hungry anymore. Continue with Life!"

Just Dance 2

"I'm not so sure about this, Feli…"

"Ve? But it's fun, Alfred! All you have to do is swing your hips from side to side, and then-"

"No, I'm not doing this. I'm not a girl!"

"But I'm not a girl either, and I'm doing it! Plus Ludwig already said he would do it."

"Ludwig? Did you really agree to this?"

"…I have nothing to say on the matter."

"What? C'mon, man, don't put me in this position."

"B-but it would be so much more fun if we had three people to play instead of two, and I really think you w-would like it-"

"Aw, Feli, don't get teary eyed on me! You know I can't- okay, okay, fine, I'll do it."

"Yay! Really? Thank you so much, Alfred! You'll have fun, I promise!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, we'll see…"

Wii Fit

"Arthur! This thing says I'm borderline overweight!"

"So it would seem."

"What? Wait, you aren't going to defend me or anything? Not going to boost my self esteem by telling me that I'm not fat or something spiritual like that?"

"Well, what would you like me to say?"

"Tell this thing that it's wrong! I'm perfectly fit!"

"…Alfred, I'm not going to scold a non-living object. For one thing, it's a machine, and it can't hear me. Second, it's just doing what it's supposed to. Yelling at it just because you don't like its results would be utterly ridiculous."

"You're a terrible big brother, you know that?"

"Thank you, dear boy, I try my best."

Wii Super Mario Galaxy

"Stupid stars, stupid Rosaline, stupid Peach. How am I supposed to save all of you at one time? I swear, you guys are seriously asking way too much of me, I'm not going to get any sleep tonight…"

"It's just a game, Alfred. It's not real. Relax."

"Yeah, but what if I can't save them, Mattie? What hero would I be then? How am I supposed to help people here on Earth if I can't even save some stupid fictional characters?"

"…I guess you better go get Peach then. I mean, it's not like she's going to go rescue herself, right?"

"Thanks, Mattie…"

Super Smash Brothers Brawl

"I quit."

"What? Why, Alfred-san? We are not even on our fourth round."

"You're too good, man! I can never beat you! At least on all of the other stuff I can at least tie with you, but you're like the boss of this game!"

"Would you like it if I let you win? Perhaps I can try to go a little easier on you-"

"No, Kiku, that would just be insulting…"

"…would you like to read manga, instead then? I got a new series I think you would like…"

"As long as it's not any of that girly, transformer type stuff, sure."

Rock Band 2

"It's the eye of the tiiiiiiiiiiger, it's the thrill of the fight! Riiiiising up to the challenge of our rivalllllllllllllllllll-"

"God, Arthur! Sing quieter! I can't play the drums if all I can hear is you screaming into the mic-"

"Well, please excuse me for your poor music skills-"

"Arthur! You're missing all of the words!"

"This is almost more amusing than the time when you were drunk and-"

"SHUT UP YOU BLOODY FROG!"

"Wait, he did what?"

"It's none of your concern, Alfred. Matthew, ignore him. He doesn't know what he's talking about!"

"Eh?"

"I believe they are old enough to know the truth, _mon ami_."

"I beg to differ! Why are you even here, I didn't invite you over!"

"Since when have I ever been given an invitation?"

"Great. Thanks a lot, guys. We just failed on like the easiest song on the face of the Earth. Thanks, guys, really. Thanks a ton."

"Oh, stop pouting, Alfred. It's only a song."

"'Only a song'? You know what, no I'm leaving, I can't take this-"

"Oh not this again, let's not have a replay from when we played Life."

"Hey, this is serious! I was going for five stars this time!"

"We can play again anytime, Al."

"Yes, don't get so depressed, _mon cher_. Maybe next time, I can join in on the fun-"

"No. Your voice is probably even worse than mine, Frenchie, and I don't want you damaging Alfred and Matthew's poor minds than you already have been."

"Are you suggesting that I am a bad influence?"

"Precisely."

"Well, then, _Arthur_-"

"Oh, god, just stop! No more arguing, seriously! I can't take it anymore!"

-o0o-

French Translations according to Google:

_trois heures_- three hours

_mon ami_- my friend

_Non_- no

_mon cher_- my dear

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**So…good? Bad? Review and tell me!**

**Another short chapter, but I think it's funny. Sorry if you guys have no idea what games I am talking about; I'm only writing about the Wii games I've played with. I swear that the next chapter will be longer though, I promise! I'll try to make it really long too!**

**I apologize if any part of the story is unrealistic.**

**R&R por favor!**

**-Camie**


	10. Crumpet

**12/13/2011**

**Author's Notes:**

**So…here's the longer chapter I promised. I hope you guys like it. Also, I speak English because that's what I grew up with, and I know a bit of Spanish because of school, but that's it. If I spell or write anything wrong in a different language, feel free to point it out and I will fix it. I do not own Hetalia.**

**So far, these are the chapters in order of when they take place in the characters lives: Phone Call, Special Relationship, Lists of 10, New World, The Frog, Crumpet, Shakyespear, EVT and an Essay, Wii games, Stalemate**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Another school experience; Matthew, Alfred, and their friends meet the crazy cat teacher, Mr. Karpusi, and find an unexpected new friend. Alfred, Matthew, and the rest of their friends are in 7****th**** grade, which means they are all about 12 years old going onto 13.**

-o0o-

It had started off as a normal day; a nice, peaceful, blissfully quiet day. But Matthew should have known better, because Matthew just could not have a normal day. Why was that? Oh, yes that's right.

He had Alfred F. Jones for a brother. And nothing was ever "normal" with Alfred.

It had all started because Matthew was late, very late in fact. If Matthew had not been late, he could have left when there was the opportunity to do so, but luck was not on his side that day. Anyways, Matthew was late. Of course, his next class was study hall, so he really had nothing to worry about, but Matthew was one of those people who liked to be early and on time to everything, no matter what it was. Besides, he knew that the teacher was strict; one of those stick-in-the-mud types who told the class that you can only read for the first twenty minutes of the period, and only do homework and study for tests in the second half.

Matthew was running through the hall, sprinting as fast as he could without spilling any of his binders for his next few classes. He should have known better than to try to go to his locker in between last period and this one, but if he had not gone then, he would've never found a time to go there at all! The school seemed to enjoy purposefully placing students' lockers and classes on opposite sides of the school building. Seriously, couldn't they have made it any easier?

Matthew skid around a corner, sliding slightly on the tiled floor, and raced down a long hallway, flying past the technology and music rooms. His study hall room was at the very end of the hallway, right across from the chorus room and directly behind the auditorium. He slowed down to a brisk walk as he approached the classroom, gasping for breath. He said a small prayer that the teacher wouldn't be mad at him for being so late, and then slowly opened the door.

"Hello, I'm sorry for being so late, I had to go to my locker and-" Matthew began.

"-he's dead?" a quiet whisper interrupted Matthew's speech, coming from a group of students at the head of the room, forming an arc around something. In fact, those were the only students in the entire classroom. Matthew stared at the around, shocked. Where had all of the other kids gone? The bell had rung, hadn't it?

"'Cause I don't know what we would do with the body, if he really is dead." Continued the voice. Matthew hesitantly approached the students, weary of why they were the only ones still standing in the otherwise abandoned classroom.

"Don't be stupid, dummy," scoffed another person. "He would look gray if he was dead, idiot." At this, Matthew recognized the speaker and instantly relaxed. He walked towards the students, comfortable now that he knew who they were.

"Alfred?" he asked, and tapped his brother on the shoulder. Alfred spun around in surprise, but sighed in relief when he saw who it was.

"Mattie, you scared me for a second! We've been over this; don't sneak up on people, ok?" Alfred shook his head and turned back around.

"But I wasn't-" Matthew started to say to his brother's back.

"Oh, hello little Мэтью, I did not see you standing there."

"Ah, hello Ivan." Matthew winced slightly as the large Russian stared pleasantly down at him. Ivan had always made Matthew nervous; he was really creepy with that weird smile of his. He didn't understand how Alfred wasn't intimidated by the taller boy.

"Good afternoon, Matthew-san. It is nice of you to join us." Kiku Honda, one of Alfred's best friends, made a small bow to Matthew. Matthew awkwardly bowed back.

"Oh, Alfred's little brother is here! Hi, Matthew!" One of the Italian twins in the group waved enthusiastically at Matthew, leaning around Kiku to better see him. Matthew winced at being called "Alfred's little brother". Really, they were twins; Alfred was only like three minutes older!

"Shut up, Feli! No one cares!" snapped the other, ruder twin. How Lovino and Feliciano Vargas were brothers was a mystery to Matthew. Sure, the two looked alike, but they were completely different in personality! But then again, he and Alfred were nothing similar, either, and they had grown up together where as Feliciano and Lovino were raised in separate homes. "Besides, we have problem at the moment!"

"_Ja_ let us not get off topic." A German, another one of Alfred's friends, by the name Ludwig folded his arms sternly.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked, a bad feeling starting to grow in his stomach; Alfred and his friends plus a problem usually equaled disaster. "What's the problem? And why isn't there any other students in here?"

"Well, everyone was here," Alfred said thoughtfully, staring at the ceiling. "But then we found out that we had a substitute instead of our normal teacher and they all ditched." Matthew blinked in surprise.

"Why didn't the teacher stop them from leaving?" Matthew questioned, confused.

"The substitute is Mr. Karpusi," Alfred told him.

"So?"

"What do you mean, 'So'? Are you stupid or something? Haven't you ever heard of the crazy cat sleeping teacher Karpusi?" Lovino hissed at Matthew.

"Er, um, no?" Matthew squeaked, leaning away from the angry Italian.

"Lovi, it's not nice to call people names!" Feliciano scolded. "Mr. Karpusi is an Ancient History professor who knows a ton about Ancient Greece," he explained to Matthew. "But he's a really bad teacher because all he ever does is sleep in class, and when he is awake, he only talks about cats."

"I don't think he's that bad of a person," Kiku interrupted worriedly, his brow furrowed.

"No one said he was a bad person, Kiku," Alfred rolled his eyes. "We're just explaining to Mattie why the guy can't teach for his life."

"That, and even when he does teach, he never follows the curriculum," Ludwig added. "Most of the class fails the midterms and finals as a result."

"Exactly my point, dude. The guy's a fail at his job."

"Well, then, where is he now?" Matthew asked, getting annoyed that everyone was talking to him like he was an idiot who knew nothing.

"Right here," Alfred moved to the side, allowing Matthew to see a 30 year old man slumped in a chair next to the desk. He had dark messy brown hair and wore a tan unbuttoned suit. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was so quiet that it was hard to tell if he was breathing at all.

"This is him?" Matthew was disappointed; he thought that a supposing "crazy" teacher would've looked a bit more insane. This guy just looked like he was a sleep walker.

"Да," Ivan confirmed. "We were trying to see if he was alive or not when you first walked in."

Matthew straitened up and frowned at the group.

"Why in the world would he be dead?"

"Precisely what I was trying to tell them earlier," Ludwig nodded at Matthew. "I do not understand where these fools come up with their silly ideas."

"I wasn't the one who came up with it, moron! It was the dumb American who said it!" He pointed a condemning finger at Alfred who looked startled at the random accusation. "In case anyone was noticing, I was one of the people criticizing him!"

"But you always criticize everyone, Lovi." Said Feliciano. "Plus, it _is_ really hard to tell if he's breathing or not." He leaned down to stare at the sleeping teacher.

"He would look different as a corpse though," Ludwig said stiffly.

"Да, he would not have pink in his cheeks and he would be cold." Ivan said sweetly.

"Oh and how would you know that, Ivan? Been handling any dead bodies lately?" Alfred hinted, glaring at the Russian.

"Perhaps. Would you like to know, Alfred?"

"_I_ would prefer not to know, Ivan-san!" Kiku interrupted, forcing himself between the two teenagers. "Please, no fighting is needed! All we have to do is hold up a hand near his mouth or watch his chest to see if he is alive or not!" Alfred and Ivan glowered at each other but both stepped down.

"Obviously, he's breathing," Lovino scoffed. "His chest is raising up and down, idiots." He pointed at the teacher and they all watched for a moment before they saw the teacher's torso rise and lower in a regular, slow pattern.

"So, he's not dead then?" Feliciano asked, confused.

"Well, he could be breathing and still be dead!" Alfred piped up. They all turned to stare incredulously at the American.

"How is that in any way true, Alfred?" Ludwig frowned.

"He could be a zombie, duh! Zombies are dead, but they can still move! Like in that movie, Zombieland, right Mattie? They run around attacking people and the remaining human population has to defend themselves! Maybe Mr. Karpusi is a zombie and that's why he sleeps all the time and is so sluggish and stuff!" Alfred looked around excitingly at the rest of the group, his eyes shining.

"I cannot believe you just said that," Ivan said finally, breaking the silence. "You are actually more stupid than you look."

With an enraged shout, Alfred leaped at Ivan, but before the two could get into another fight, a voice interrupted him.

"Why is there a group of students surrounding my desk?" The group turned around to see the teacher, Mr. Karpusi, leaning forward in his chair, his eyes open. He did not seem the least bit sleepy or tired; in fact, it was almost unnatural how quickly he was able to focus after waking up.

"You- you're awake!" Matthew stared at him with wide eyes.

"So it would seem," he replied softly, blinking slowly and staring around at the 7th graders. He stood up and they all quickly scrambled away, trying to give him some space.

"Where are the other students?" he asked when he noticed there was no one else in the classroom. "I thought there is a class this period."

"They all left," Alfred said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "They, er, skipped."

"Why?" The group exchanged uncomfortable glances, unwilling to tell the teacher the truth.

"Ve- they thought you were the crazy cat teacher and left," Feliciano chirped happily. Alfred and his friends turned to gape at the cheerful Italian, who just smiled back at them.

"What?" he asked when he noticed their horrified looks. "What did I do?"

"Idiot!" Lovino hissed at his twin. "Why would you say that? Now he's going to think that _we_ think that he's crazy too!"

"Which we don't," Kiku added hastily. "We do not think that you are crazy, Mr. Karpusi-san."

The teacher just watched them with a blank stare, no expression on his plain face.

"Well, I still say he's a zomb-" Alfred started to say in a hushed whisper before Ludwig hit him over the head with a book. "Ow!" Ludwig sent him a warning glare. Alfred glowered but became quiet once again.

"Well, it is true that I love cats," Mr. Karpusi said thoughtfully, speaking as if he had not heard what Alfred had said. "And the only reason I sleep so much in school is because I take care of so many of them."

"Precisely how many cats do you have?" Ivan wondered out loud.

"Oh, a lot. So many that I have to keep some here in the school so that they have a home. I rescue most of them from the streets, you see. And-"

"You have cats here in the building?" Feliciano's eyes flew open wide in excitement.

"Yes."

"Can I see them? Please, please, please, pretty, pretty, please? I love cats so much! They're soft and fluffy and cuddly and nice and soft and don't make a lot of noise and they're soft and-"

"Of course you can see them," Mr. Karpusi said in a sluggish voice. "I'm always happy to show others my cats. It makes me happy to know that others like them as much as I do."

"You don't have to, Mr. Karpusi-san," Kiku said hastily. "Feliciano-kun just likes soft things. I'm sure you are a very busy person, and-"

"I do not mind," He said firmly. "In fact, why don't you all come? The more people see my cats the happier I am." He walked over to the door and gestured the students to follow him.

"Hell yeah, field trip!" Alfred yelled, punching the air. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" He ran after the teacher, dragging Matthew along by the arm.

"Alfred, I don't think this is a good idea-" he stared to say before he was pushed out the door.

"Wait for me guys!" Feliciano rushed to catch up with them.

"Damnit, get back here, Feli! Rodriech is going to kill me if you get hurt!" the angry Italian stomped after his twin.

"Should we follow?" Kiku asked Ludwig. "I'm not sure if this is the smart thing to do. I'm not even sure if it is legal to keep cats in the school building without permission from the principle."

"I'm not sure, either, but we cannot let those idiots go off by themselves. None of them would be smart enough to avoid doing something stupid."

"Then, let us follow," Ivan said pleasantly, walking around the two and stepped out into the hallway. Ludwig and Kiku hesitated, but joined him.

"Hurry up, guys," Alfred called back to them as they hurried down the hallway. "You're so slow!"

"Well, you're too fast!" Lovino snapped at him, scowling. Alfred just laughed, grinning.

"Turn here," Mr. Karpusi said suddenly, and the group took a right, walking up a hallway that was behind the auditorium. Matthew look around nervously; he had never been in this part of the school before, and- no offense to the Global History teacher- he did not really trust Mr. Karpusi as their guide. Why had he been sleeping in the middle of the day? What if it wasn't because he had to take care of cats? What if this guy was on drugs? What if he kidnapped them? What would Arthur think?

What would Arthur think? Matthew paled at the thought.

What would Arthur think if he found out that the most important thing to him in the word- Alfred- had been kidnapped by a crazy, cat loving druggie of a teacher, and Matthew had let him do it? Matthew would be dead! Grounded for a year, no a century! He wouldn't be allowed to have pancakes for breakfast ever again and Arthur wouldn't let Francis visit…Oh, god, he should stop. He should force Alfred to turn around and come back with him. He should be the responsible one and-

"Here," Mr. Karpusi stopped at a locked door, jerking Matthew out of his thoughts. He withdrew a key from his pocket and quietly unlocked the door as the students stood silently behind him. Matthew bit anxiously on his thumb, getting more worried by the second. He tugged on Alfred's sleeve, desperate to get his attention.

"Alfred," He whispered.

"What?" Alfred whispered back, eyes on the door.

"I don't think we should be here, this is a bad idea, and we could get into trouble-"

"Yeah, yeah you said that already, Mattie. Trust me, we're with a teacher, he knows what he's doing. We won't get into trouble."

"But I don't-" Matthew stopped speaking when the door had fully open, and his mouth popped open in shock when he saw what was inside.

Mr. Karpusi had been telling the truth about the cats; on the floor of the closet was a batch of small kittens, all curled around one large tabby, who was apparently the mother. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and narrowed her yellow eyes at the group before Mr. Karpusi leaned down to pet her head. As she purred, the teacher gestured at the students to come closer. The closet was surprisingly large, and all of the kids were able to crowd around the cats without becoming too cramped. Alfred's blue eyes were wide with wonder as he hesitantly leaned forward to take a closer look.

"You can pet them, if you like," Mr. Karpusi said to him. "Rhea won't mind. She's a very mellow cat." Alfred nodded, and reached over to pet a small white kitten with large patches of orange-brown on its fur. It blearily opened its eyes when Alfred's thumb gently ran over its head, revealing a pair of bright green orbs. Alfred's breath caught when it turned to look at him. For a moment, they just stared at each other, and then Alfred slowly curled his hand underneath the small animal, pushing it gently into his palm. The kitten struggled for a minute, but started to purr quietly when Alfred began to run his fingers over its head and back.

"He's a Scottish Fold," Mr. Karpusi told Alfred. "I am surprised; he usually doesn't take to people that quickly."

"Really?" Alfred asked as the kitten nuzzled his hand affectionately. "He seems to like me though. How'd you get him?"

"I rescued him. I rescue most of the cats, and then I nurse them back to health and give them to pet stores." Alfred stopped petting the small cat, and looked up at the teacher, horrified.

"You're going to sell him?" Alfred cried.

"No, I don't sell them. I just give them to a place where they have a better chance at getting a real home." Mr. Karpusi watched Alfred pet the cat, adoringly. "You know, if you want, you can keep him." Alfred's head snapped up.

"What? Really? I can keep him!"

"He seems to have taken to you. I wouldn't take a cat away from someone who it really likes. It wouldn't be fair to either of you."

"I- thank you so much! Oh my god, we're gonna have so much fun, Crumpet!" He held the cat up to his face and hugged it gently, laughing when it licked his face.

"Crumpet?" Matthew sat down next to Alfred. "Who's Crumpet?"

"My new cat! Mattie, say hi to Crumpet!" He shoved the cat into Matthew's face. Matthew blinked at the kitten while it stared moodily back, obviously not impressed with him even though he looked just like Alfred. Matthew frowned.

"Alfred, this cat belongs to Mr. Karpusi-"

"Not anymore! He says I can have him!"

"Still, what will Arthur say? Arthur doesn't like pets, remember?"

"Oh, he'll like Crumpet, trust me." Alfred winked at his twin. Matthew raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Really? And why is that?"

"Well, Crumpet kinda looks like Arthur, ya know what I mean? The thick tuffs of fur above his eyes are Arthur's eyebrows, and they have the same color eyes… heck, they even act similar! Am a right?" Matthew leaned closer to Crumpet, noticing the similarities.

"Huh, I mean, that is weird that they look and act similar, but that doesn't mean Arthur's going to like it when you come home with a random cat. We have no supplies or food or anything else for it. How are you going to keep him if you have nothing to take care of him with?"

"I'll figure it out," Alfred reassured his brother. "I'll even get a job if I have too! Plus, you're forgetting an important fact, Mattie."

"What?"

"Arthur loves me," Alfred said simply. "And so does Crumpet. Arthur can't hate anything that loves me, so he can't throw Crumpet out, no matter what. Also, Arthur always said he wanted a pet, so why not get one now? Right, Crumpet?" Alfred beamed at Crumpet and the cat purred contently at his new master, swishing his tail back and forth.

"I guess Arthur's in for the surprise of his life, then." Matthew said, shaking his head and smiling at his joyful twin and their new pet.

-o0o-

Translations according to Google:

(Russian)Мэтью- Matthew

Да- yes

(Japanese) "san"- Kiku is being polite when using this. It's like saying "Mr." or "Miss" in English.

(German) _Ja_- yes

(Greek) Rhea- a stream, a mother

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**Matthew sometimes hangs out with Alfred's group of friends but not all the time. He likes to hang out more with kids who actually see him as "Matthew" and not "Alfred's little brother". Alfred's best friends are Kiku, Ludwig, Lovino, Feliciano, and Ivan (even though the two can't stand each other). In most school AU stories, Arthur, Francis and Yao are in the group too, but they are adults in this story, so that's impossible.**

**Um, I've never seen Zombieland, but a ton of people I know have seen it, and it's supposed to be a good movie. Or at least that's what I heard. It seems like the kind of thing that Alfred would like.**

**I know I've never mentioned that Alfred had a cat pet before, but I kinda fell in love with Crumpet while writing him. And yes, I know Crumpet is food, but I love the name; I really think it fits him for some reason. So, please just assume he was always there in the chapters that take place after Alfred is 12 years old. Also, I don't have a cat; I have no idea what they act like or anything, so sorry if Crumpet doesn't act like a normal kitten would.**

**-Camie**


	11. Of Time and Memory

**1/7/12**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

**Summary: AU brotherly relationship- Alfred and Arthur go into an old shop on the way home from school and find out that growing up doesn't mean they can't ever be kids again. Alfred and Matthew are 15 years old and Arthur is 27; takes place in the spring, after the chapter "Wii games".**

-o0o-

"MATTIE!" Alfred screamed, running strait into his younger brother. Matthew, who was not expecting to be run into, gasped loudly and automatically dropped all of his books onto the ground. Alfred laughed and Matthew rested a hand on his heart, trying to calm himself down.

"Alfred," he said when he finally caught his breath. "Why did you do that? You know I hate it when you scare me like that." He reached down to get his books.

"Sorry dude, I forgot," Alfred said, handing Matthew some papers that had escaped the folders. "I was just so excited! I really, really, really want to tell you something!"

"What?"

"Guess."

"Alfred, I am not-"

"Or else I won't tell you," Alfred said in a sing song voice. Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Does it have something to do with Spanish?" he said. Alfred grinned and nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

"Did you do the presentation thing?" Matthew asked. "Are you done with it?"

"Yes!" Alfred cried, crushing Matthew in a bruising hug and swinging him around in a circle.  
>"I did it today, Mattie, it's finally over! I don't have to worry about speaking Spanish ever again until next year! Isn't that great? Oh my god, I'm so happy! And the best part is, I think my teacher really liked it too! She kept nodding and smiling and stuff- that's a good sign, right?"<p>

"Smiling is normally a good sign," Matthew assured him. "Of course she liked it Al, you're great at Spanish. I don't get why you were worried at all."

"Well, I don't really pay attention in class," Alfred admitted. "Actually, I sleep most of the time. I mean, really, who wants to learn a new language at like eight in the morning?"

"You _sleep_ in _class_?" Matthew asked, horrified. Unlike his brother, Matthew was a strait A student.

"Mhmm," Alfred said. "But it doesn't matter anymore, 'cause I'm FREE!" He yelled the last word out across the school campus, punching a hand in the air. The students nearest to them jumped in fright, and then stared angrily at Alfred for disrupting the peace. Matthew, on the other hand, just laughed; his brother's joy was contagious. In fact, he was just happy that Alfred was finally in a good mood again. For days he had poured over his Spanish notes, making a power point presentation that would count for more than half of his final grade for that semester. He even talked to Antonio Carriedo, Lovino Vargas' guardian, to ask for help on how to pronounce certain words.

"Oh, man!" Alfred said, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "I feel so light! I think I could probably fly if I wanted to-"

"Please don't," Matthew interrupted, grabbing onto Alfred's jacket. "The last time you said that you almost ended up breaking an arm." Alfred winced at the memory.

"Yeah, but that was when I was like four," he said. "I wouldn't be stupid enough to try that now." He stood on the tips of his toes and stretched out his arms. Matthew sighed.

"I hope not," he told Alfred. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Sure, but let's do something before we go home." Alfred said as the pair began to walk away from the school.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked, frowning. Alfred's ideas weren't always the brightest or the most reasonable. More often than not, they both got into trouble for doing something stupid that Alfred had wanted to do. "If we get into trouble again, Arthur's going to kill us-"

"Nah, nothing dumb like that," Alfred waved at one of his friends off in the distance. "Let's do something really awesome, like give a million jillion dollars to charity or go give kids around the world presents and stuff!"

"That's impossible, Alfred." Matthew said.

"What? Why?"

"Well, first of all, there's no way you're going anyplace other than back to our house," Matthew said. "Second of all, we don't have a million jillion dollars to donate. Maybe twenty dollars, but other than that-"

"Arthur probably has the money." Alfred protested.

"Do you think that he would just give it to you? Honestly, I'm surprised that he trusts you with the five dollars it takes to pay for lunch. Isn't he still mad at you for what happened last week?" Alfred winced.

"Don't remind me," he groaned. "He still won't talk to me, no matter what I do. I even tried reading Shakespeare out loud yesterday and he didn't even look once in my direction."

"It's that bad?" Matthew asked. Alfred nodded.

"Yeah, it is." Alfred shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and hunched his shoulders. "How long do you think this is going to go on for?"

"I'm not sure," Matthew said carefully. "He was pretty angry at you."

"But it wasn't like I did it on purpose or anything! And I told him I was sorry, but it's like he doesn't even care what I have to say." Alfred looked down at his feet, hiding his expression from Matthew's view.

"Don't worry, Al." Matthew said quickly, worried that Alfred would get seriously upset if the conversation continued. "Arthur loves you; he can never stay mad at you for long. Just you watch, in a few days, all of this will be behind us."

Alfred remained silent as they continued to walk down the street. Matthew looked into the store windows they passed, but he didn't find anything interesting. He lifted his books higher in his arms so that they wouldn't fall again, and watched at his twin from the corner of his eyes. Compared to before, Alfred was solemn and quiet, lost in his own thoughts as he stared off into the distance. Matthew looked away again, feeling guiltily for making him sad after he had been so happy. After some time, Alfred spoke again.

"Do you know what today is?" he asked Matthew.

"No, is there something important going on that I'm forgetting?"

"Today, seven years ago, Arthur told me that he wanted to adopt us." Alfred said. "Today seven years ago was our first step towards becoming a family." Matthew stared at Alfred with surprise.

"You actually remember that?" Matthew said.

"Yeah, I remember everything from that time, from the dates to what the sky looked like that day, everything. I was so happy…" his voice trailed off. "Meeting Arthur was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"He's great," Matthew smiled at his brother. "I'm happy you met him too, Alfred. He's done everything for us."

"Yeah…he has." Alfred slowed down to a halt, stopping in front of a small shop window. Matthew stopped too, standing next to him. It wasn't anything special, but the display was full of old, antique objects. Alfred stared at the display, his eyes wide.

"Can we go inside?" he begged Matthew. "I promise I'll only look for a little while!"

"Okay, but we have to get back before the sun sets-"

"Yay! Let's go!" he grabbed Matthew's hand, dragging him into the shop. As soon as they were inside Alfred dropped his bag on the floor and ran around the corner, stopping to stare at everything in sight.

"This is so awesome, Mattie! Do you see how old this stuff is? This is from the 1950s…" Alfred babbled, pointing to an old train set. Matthew smiled, glad that Alfred was once again in high spirits.

"I still don't understand why you like this kind of stuff," Matthew said, following Alfred from behind so that they wouldn't get separated.

"Well, it's cool. All of this stuff comes from a different time, a different age," Alfred said, running his fingers over a metal tea kettle. "It makes me wonder what was going on when it was being used, or who used it, and why they sold it and stuff. Plus, you'll never know what you could find in here." He turned a corner, gesturing for Matthew to hurry up.

"Have you ever been in here before?" Matthew asked, looking up and down the deserted row.

"No," Alfred said. "I wouldn't pull you in here if I had already- whoa! Mattie, come look at this!" Alfred was looking at something out of Matthew's vision, his mouth open wide in shock. Matthew hurried over, and Alfred pulled him closer to his side, pointing at a large hat the color of dark red with a white feather was sticking out of the top.

"Is that a pirate's hat?" Matthew asked and Alfred grinned.

"Looks like it, right? I wonder where they found this." He took the hat off of the rack, turning it over in his hands. "It's so big! Here, let's try it on for size." Alfred reached over and placed the hat on Matthew's head. Matthew let out a surprised yelp when it fell over his eyes. He lifted it up with one hand and scowled at Alfred while his brother laughed.

"It looks good on you," Alfred finally chocked out.

"Are you kidding me?" Matthew walked to a dirty, full-length mirror to see for himself. "I look stupid!" he cried out, turning back to Alfred. Alfred cracked up again, leaning over on his knees to keep himself from falling on the floor.

"Your turn," Matthew growled, grabbing an eye patch that had been underneath the hat. He forcefully tied the eye patch around Alfred's head, making sure that it fit snugly. "There," he said proudly, taking a step back and observing his handwork. "Now you look like a pirate too." Alfred looked at himself in the mirror, turning his head left and right.

"Nah, it needs something else," Alfred said. He looked around and his face lit up when he saw a small American flag abandoned on a lower shelf. He took it and tied it over his hair to create a makeshift bandana. "Ta-da!" he said, facing Matthew and making a ridiculous pose. This time Matthew was the one laughing.

"You look like Smee from Peter Pan," Matthew said with a grin.

"No way! I'm the _Captain_ of this shop, not the cabin boy!" Alfred said.

"Is that a challenge, young friend?" Matthew asked, lowering his voice to give it a dangerous edge.

"Yes, it is!" Alfred cried. He grabbed a wooden cane- the kind old people used to help them walk- from the side of the wall and waved it wildly at Matthew. "On guard, brother!" Matthew snorted.

"You are seriously going to challenge me with that thing?" he pointed at the cane and Alfred nodded with determination. "Alright then, I choose…" Matthew turned around in a circle, trying to find anything that he could use to fight Alfred with. He grinned upon finding a practice fencing sward, and he picked it up.

"Do you still want to do this?" Matthew said, showing Alfred his weapon of choice.

"A hero never backs down!" Alfred said. "I'm going to win this! Besides, what do you think is stronger? Wood or foil?" Realization dawned on Matthew at what Alfred was saying and his twin grinned evilly.

"Wha- wait! This isn't fair-" Matthew sputtered.

"All is fair in love in war," Alfred recited, using a previous jab that Matthew had used against him a few months ago. Matthew scowled and they simultaneously started to circle each other.

"This won't end well," Matthew said, keeping his eyes on his opponent.

"No," Alfred agreed. "Blood will be spilled-"

"Tears will be shed-"

"But there can only be one winner!" they both said together.

With a wild war cry, Alfred charged head on at Matthew, slicing his cane sideways. Matthew jumped away, jerking his head backwards so that Alfred would miss. Alfred swung again, forcing Matthew to back up into a corner. With a help, he ducked just in time as the cane smacked against wall. He took the opening to swipe at Alfred's legs, sweeping his brother's feet from out beneath him. Alfred fell onto the floor and his head hit the ground with a solid thud. Matthew lunged, grabbing the cane Alfred had dropped and throwing it as far out of reach as possible. Alfred pulled on Matthew's shirt and he toppled backwards again. For a moment the two struggled, trying to gain the upper hand. Then they locked eyes, and an agreement of some sort was made; they both collapsed on the ground, breathless as they started to laugh.

"Ah, that was fun," Alfred said, closing his eyes. Matthew looked at him with a smile.

"Yeah, we haven't done that in a while."

Alfred grunted. "Haven't had the time."

"We should make time, then." Matthew insisted. "I miss hanging out with you. We used to do it all the time, remember?"

Alfred opened his eyes. "You mean like before we met Arthur?"

"Even after we met Arthur, it was just us. You and me against the world."

Alfred grinned. "I remember that. Didn't we have super names too?"

"I'm not sure- no, wait! We did! Wasn't I like, Maple Leaf or something-?"

"What is going on here?" said an unfamiliar voice from behind them. Matthew and Alfred rolled their heads backwards to see an old lady standing with a hand to her heart; her face in shock.

Alfred scrambled upwards while Matthew looked around at the mess they had made in their "fight". Artifacts from the shelves had fallen onto the floor, and some of the furniture that had been stacked against the wall was now lying sideways on the ground. To state it plainly, it looked like a tornado had blown through the shop.

"I am so sorry, dude," Alfred began to say. The old lady- the owner of the store, Matthew guessed- made a chocking sound at the word 'dude'.

"What he means to say," Matthew said, walking forward. "Is that we didn't mean to cause such a- a-"

"Mess," Alfred said. The old lady looked back and for the between them like she was watching a tennis match.

"We will pay for anything broken-"

"We will?" Alfred whispered and Matthew elbowed him in the stomach. Alfred grunted in pain.

"Wh- who are you?" she finally asked. "I have never seen either of you in my shop before."

"Uh, I'm Alfred and this is my twin brother, Matthew." Alfred said. "We just stopped in here on the way home from school, but we saw the pirate hat and eye patch and…I guess you could say we got carried away. Sorry."

"Do you want us to clean it up?" Matthew said.

"That would be nice," she said. "Considering that it was you two who created the mess." They lowered their heads in embarrassment. "But, if you manage to do that without damaging anything else, I will let you pick one thing to take home with you for free." At this, their heads snapped upwards, and they looked at each other before staring back at the old lady.

"You- you mean it?" Alfred asked. "We can take something home for free?"

She nodded. "I don't get kids in here as often as I used to, and as much as it surprised me to see you two in here, I remember what it was like to be a teenager. I miss the freedom that came with being so young." She smiled at them sadly. "So, just this one time, I will let you go."

"Thank you so much," Matthew said before Alfred could say anything that might make her take back her offer. "We will clean this up immediately."

"Alright, I'll be at the cash register when you are finished." She walked towards the front of the store, leaving the twins to the mess.

"Oh, my god, this is awesome, Mattie!" Alfred cried. "We can choose anything we want from here!"

"I know," Matthew said. "But let's worry about that later. We need to clean this stuff up quickly or else we won't get home until its dark out." Alfred nodded in agreement and together they started to pick up the objects on the floor.

"This is so boring," Alfred complained after a few minutes. "Can't we just like shove everything to the side or something?"

"No," Matthew said. "She might not let us choose something if we don't do the job right. Besides, it's our fault this place is a mess. Is a hero like you really going to let a poor old lady clean up something you did?"

Alfred frowned. "Okay, you have a point." He leaned down to grab the last object off the floor. He held it in his hands, studying it. Matthew saw a glint of gold between his fingers.

"Alfred?" Matthew said. "What is it?"

"Mattie, look at this." Alfred held out the object, and Matthew took it once he realized that it was a watch. A pocket watch, in fact. It had a long thin chain, and was small, circular, and most defiantly old with scratches and rust marking its face.

Alfred touched it gently, and said, "It reminded me of the watch in the Pirate Stories Arthur used to read out loud to us when we were younger."

"Yeah, I see what you mean, but I think Arthur made up those stories. I don't think he ever read them out loud." They studied the watch for a minute longer, and then Alfred put it inside is pocket.

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked, alarmed. "You can't steal it!"

"I'm not stealing it," Alfred said, rolling his eyes. "If we don't find anything else, do you mind if this is the thing we get for free?"

Matthew blinked. "Eh? I mean, I don't care what we get in all honesty, but why do you want this of all things?"

Alfred shrugged, taking the watch back out. He held it up in the setting afternoon sun by its chain, and the reflecting light illuminated his face, making it look more serious than normal.

"It reminds me of Arthur," he said slowly. "And his birthday is coming up soon; I think this is something he might really like."

"You want to get this for Arthur?" Matthew asked. "I didn't even think you remembered his birthday, with the fighting and everything."

Alfred flushed. "Of course I remember his birthday!" he said defensively. "He's family, after all."

Matthew smiled warmly at Alfred while his brother fiddled nervously with the pocket watch to hide his embarrassment.

"You're right," Matthew said and Alfred looked up at him. "Arthur is family. The best family we could ever have."

-o0o-

**Author's Notes:**

**Yay! The chapter's finally done! I know I haven't updated in a while, and I'm really sorry. Oringinally, I actually wanted this chapter to take place when the kids were younger, but this just came to me so I had to write it. And I'm not going to tell you guys why Alfred was in trouble; I might write about it one day.**

**-Camie**


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